GB2604330A - Air disinfecting machine - Google Patents

Air disinfecting machine Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2604330A
GB2604330A GB2101438.6A GB202101438A GB2604330A GB 2604330 A GB2604330 A GB 2604330A GB 202101438 A GB202101438 A GB 202101438A GB 2604330 A GB2604330 A GB 2604330A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
air
flywheel
disinfecting machine
machine
compressor
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GB2101438.6A
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GB202101438D0 (en
Inventor
Pierce Martin Parry John
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Individual
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Individual
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Priority to GB2101438.6A priority Critical patent/GB2604330A/en
Publication of GB202101438D0 publication Critical patent/GB202101438D0/en
Publication of GB2604330A publication Critical patent/GB2604330A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B21/00Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
    • A63B21/22Resisting devices with rotary bodies
    • A63B21/225Resisting devices with rotary bodies with flywheels
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B22/00Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements
    • A63B22/06Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements with support elements performing a rotating cycling movement, i.e. a closed path movement
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B21/00Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
    • A63B21/008Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using hydraulic or pneumatic force-resisters
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B21/00Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
    • A63B21/008Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using hydraulic or pneumatic force-resisters
    • A63B21/0085Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using hydraulic or pneumatic force-resisters using pneumatic force-resisters
    • A63B21/0087Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using hydraulic or pneumatic force-resisters using pneumatic force-resisters of the piston-cylinder type
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B21/00Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
    • A63B21/15Arrangements for force transmissions
    • A63B21/157Ratchet-wheel links; Overrunning clutches; One-way clutches
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B21/00Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
    • A63B21/22Resisting devices with rotary bodies
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B22/00Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements
    • A63B22/06Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements with support elements performing a rotating cycling movement, i.e. a closed path movement
    • A63B22/0605Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements with support elements performing a rotating cycling movement, i.e. a closed path movement performing a circular movement, e.g. ergometers
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24FAIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F8/00Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
    • F24F8/20Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by sterilisation
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2213/00Exercising combined with therapy
    • A63B2213/005Exercising combined with therapy with respiratory gas delivering means, e.g. O2

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery (AREA)
  • Biophysics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Vascular Medicine (AREA)
  • Cardiology (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)

Abstract

An air disinfecting machine 10, includes a flywheel 24 which is connected through a clutch 36 to an air compressor 38, the air compressor 38 having an outlet duct 44 for compressed air, and the outlet duct 44 being connected to an outlet valve 48, and also includes a drive mechanism 22, 30, 32 for the flywheel 24. The outlet duct may include a storage tank 46, the air compressor may be a piston and cylinder or rotary screw compressor. The air disinfecting machine may be an exercise machine 10, where a user causes the flywheel 24 to rotate, for example by pedalling. When sufficient rotation speed of the flywheel 24 has been achieved, the clutch 36 is released, so the energy from the flywheel 24 operates the air compressor 38, thereby heating the air. The heated air is subsequently released. The clutch 36 is then returned to its initial state, and the process repeated. The heating is such that viruses are deactivated; hence the air disinfecting machine deactivates viruses in the air.

Description

Air Disinfecting Machine This invention relates to an air disinfecting machine that includes a flywheel; it may be an exercise machine that as well as providing exercise to a user is arranged to have additional beneficial effects.
Exercise machines have been developed over many years, and there are many different types of exercise machine. Some are arranged to be actuated by a user's arms, and others are arranged to be actuated by a user's legs; leg exercises for example may utilise a moving belt or treadmill, or may use pedals like those of a bicycle. By way of example US 4 664 372 (M W Halvig) describes a dual-purpose exercise machine with pedals and a flywheel for foot and leg exercises, as well as a handle for pulling exercises. US 2009/0239714 (Ty Sellers) describes a multi-mode exercise machine with a range of different exercises, skiing motion, climbing steps, cycling, and rowing, and that includes a flywheel with magnetic resistance. US 10 022 584 (Cheng-Cheng Chang) describes a stationary exercise bicycle with a horizontal flywheel. EP 3 246 073 (SportsArt Industrial Co.) describes an exercise treadmill which includes a flywheel which is arranged to generate electrical power.
According to the present invention there is provided an air disinfecting machine comprising a flywheel, a drive mechanism to drive the flywheel, and an air compressor connected through a clutch to the flywheel, the air compressor having an outlet duct for compressed air, and the outlet duct being connected to an outlet valve.
If the flywheel is rotating sufficiently fast, and the clutch is released, the flywheel drives the air compressor, and can provide more power than was available from the drive mechanism, albeit for a shorter period of time. Compression of the ambient air heats the air, and the elevated temperature kills germs in the air. This heated air is then fed into the outlet duct. By opening the outlet valve, the heated and compressed air can be released into the surroundings, cooling as its pressure drops. Thus the overall result is that air from the surroundings is heated to an elevated temperature by the compressor, remaining for a period of time within compressor and the outlet duct, and then released back into the surroundings. The outlet duct may include a storage tank in which the heated and compressed air is stored before being released into the surroundings. The air compressor operates intermittently, being driven by the flywheel when the clutch is released rather than by the drive mechanism.
In one embodiment, the air disinfecting machine is an exercise machine, the drive mechanism being operated by the user and so being human-powered. Hence use of the exercise machine by a user causes the flywheel to rotate. The flywheel hence makes it possible to apply significantly more power to drive the compressor, and so to heat the air, than the user can provide directly.
Recent research on viruses, in particular Covid-19 (SARS-00V-2), has shown that viruses can be killed or deactivated by exposure to elevated temperatures. An article by Martin Hessling et al., "Selection of parameters for thermal coronavirus inactivation -a data-based recommendation" (GMS Hygiene and Infection Control 2020, volume 15), shows that coronaviruses can be inactivated at somewhat elevated temperatures, showing effective results at temperatures between 60°C and 100°C, and showing that the virus concentration decreases with time in conformity with an exponential function with a rate constant k, where the rate constant varies exponentially with temperature. That is to say the concentration c decreases with time t according to the equation: C = co. 10 -kt Equation 1 where co is the initial concentration. The variation of rate constant, k, with temperature T (in kelvin) is of the form: log (kT) = -a.(1/T) + b Equation 2 The article showed that a range of different animal and human corona viruses have rate constants k with similar temperature variations, differing in the values of the constants a and b. The article indicates that in a worst-case scenario it would appear that all the studied types of corona virus can be effectively inactivated in accordance with: log (kT) = -(5574/T) + 14.75 Equation 3 where the rate constant k is in reciprocal minutes.
The article by Hessling is primarily concerned with inactivating viruses at temperatures no higher than 120°C, for which the required time to achieve a Slog reduction, i.e. to reduce the amount of virus by a factor of 105, is at least one minute. However, his results can be extrapolated to higher temperatures, for which the required time is significantly less. For example at 200°C the required time is only 0.3 seconds, and at 250°C it is 0.02 seconds.
It will hence be appreciated that the power provided to the air compressor by the flywheel must compress the air sufficiently to achieve an elevated temperature for example above 150°C, and more preferably above 200°C, for example 250°C or 400°C. The air that enters the storage tank may be at a lower temperature, because the temperature may drop as the air leaves the compressor.
Nevertheless the air disinfecting machine may be operated in such a way that the air in the outlet duct or the storage tank is held at a temperature above say 200°C for long enough to ensure inactivation of viruses, before being released into the surroundings. In contrast the power provided by the drive mechanism to the flywheel is significantly less; it may be less than 20% or less than 10% of the power provided to the compressor.
As mentioned above, the machine may be an exercise machine. The user of the exercise machine does not have to provide sufficient power to operate the compressor continuously. Rather the user operates the exercise machine so that the flywheel turns faster and faster, acting as a store of energy. For example the flywheel may get up to 2000 rpm. When sufficient flywheel rotation speed been achieved, the clutch is released, so the flywheel drives the air compressor, and the flywheel may for example slow down to 500 rpm. The user then operates the exercise machine to again raise the speed of rotation of the flywheel; and this process can be repeated.
The operation of the clutch and the operation of the valve to release air from the outlet duct or the storage tank may be automated, or may be controlled by the user. The exercise machine may incorporate a display, for example displaying the rate of rotation of the flywheel, or indicating when the flywheel is rotating fast enough that the clutch can be released. The display may also indicate the temperature of the air in the storage tank, or may indicate when the air in the storage tank has had sufficient time at elevated temperature that any viruses have been deactivated so it can be released by opening the outlet valve.
The air compressor may for example comprise a piston that is reciprocated to and fro along a cylinder, for example the piston being connected via a crank to a rotating shaft, the cylinder incorporating a valve at the closed end, the valve being opened when the piston reaches the top of its stroke. This is analogous to a diesel engine. Other types of air compressor may be used, such as a rotary screw compressor.
The exercise machine may incorporate gears, so the rotation speed of the flywheel is greater than the direct effect of the user. The exercise machine may be a stationary bicycle, with cranked pedals driving the flywheel. The drive to the flywheel may incorporate a chain, and may include gears so the user can change the velocity ratio of the drive as the rotation rate of the flywheel varies. These may for example be derailleur gears equivalent to those on a road bicycle. There may be an additional step-up mechanism to achieve a higher rotation rate for the flywheel.
It will be appreciated that the rotation of the flywheel is not damped to suppress its rotation, and that rotating the flywheel does not necessitate overcoming significant friction. The energy of the user is not dissipated by overcoming friction, but rather is used to raise the rotation rate of the flywheel. During normal operation the flywheel spins freely, except when the clutch is released.
As another embodiment the air disinfecting machine may be installed in a vehicle, for example a passenger-carrying vehicle. The air compressor may take air from outside the vehicle. The drive mechanism may be a DC electric motor, for example less than 350W, driven by the vehicle's battery at either 12 V or 24 V, for example a SOW motor such as a windscreen-wiper motor. In this case the step of releasing the clutch may be automated to occur at a pre-set rotation rate of the flywheel, and operation of the valve to release air from the outlet duct or the storage tank may be automated, for example to occur when the compressed air has exceeded a preset temperature for a preset period. Hence the machine automatically provides a supply of disinfected air to the vehicle; the entire machine may be small enough to fit under a seat.
Similarly such an air disinfecting machine may be a self-contained unit, powered by mains electricity, for use in a house. As will be appreciated, the drive mechanism does not need high power: a motor of between SOW and 350W is sufficient, as the air compressor only operates intermittently, being driven by the flywheel rather than the drive mechanism.
The air disinfecting machine may include additional disinfecting devices, for example an ultraviolet light to irradiate the compressed air in the outlet duct or the storage tank; this is applicable in all the embodiments described above.
The invention will now be further and more particularly described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an exercise machine which is an air disinfecting machine of the invention, including a flywheel, viewing the right-hand side from the front; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the exercise machine of figure 1, viewing the left-hand side from the front; Figure 3 shows a sectional view in a vertical plane containing the axis of rotation of the flywheel; and Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an alternative air disinfecting machine, installed under a seat of a passenger vehicle, the seat being indicated schematically.
Referring to figure 1 and figure 2, an exercise machine 10 is of the type referred to as a stationary bicycle. It has an H-shaped base comprising two parallel steel tubes 11 and 12 linked by a steel tube 13. A framework of steel tubes is welded onto this base, consisting of an upwardly extending tube 14 welded to the steel tube 11 and carrying handlebars 15 at the top; and a frame 16 of narrower tubes which carries a saddle 18 for the user and two pedals 20 on crankshafts 21 mounted on opposite ends of an axle that carries a large drive gear 22. The frame 16 is welded onto the steel tube 12 and also to the steel bar 13 and to the upwardly extending tube 14. The frame 16 resembles the frame of a bicycle. The framework consisting of the steel tubes 11 and 12, the steel bar 13, the upwardly extending tube 14 and the frame 16 is welded to form a rigid structure. As in road bicycles, the saddle 18 is mounted on a telescopic shaft so that the height of the saddle 18 may be adjusted. These features are conventional.
Referring also to figure 3, a flywheel 24 with a heavy rim is mounted within an evacuated casing 25 fixed to the H-shaped base and below the saddle 18. The flywheel 24 has an axle 26 which projects through seals 27 on both sides of the casing 25. On the right-hand side of the exercise machine 10 the axle 26 carries a gear wheel 30 (see the left-hand side of figure 3) which is of smaller diameter than the drive gear 22, connected to the axle 26 through a freewheel ratchet (not shown) so the user can stop pedalling without stopping the flywheel 24. The ends of the axle 26 are supported by two bearings 28 fixed to the frame 16. A chain 32 passes round the drive gear 22 and the gear wheel 30, so the user can drive the flywheel 24 to rotate. In this example there are five different-sized gear wheels 30 side-by-side on the axle 26, and the chain 32 also passes around a derailleur mechanism 34, controlled by a rotatable ring 35 on the handlebars 15. The drive gear 22, the gear wheels 30 with the freewheel ratchet, the chain 32, and the derailleur mechanism 34 are equivalent to those on a road bicycle.
In a modification, the gear wheel 30 may be connected to the axle 26 of the flywheel 24 indirectly, through additional gears (not shown) or another step-up mechanism, so the rotation speed of the flywheel 24 is greater than that of the gear wheel 30.
On the left-hand side of the exercise machine 10 the axle 26 carries a clutch mechanism 36 (see the right hand side of figure 3) by which the axle 26 can be connected to a drive wheel 37, but the clutch mechanism 36 is biased into the state in which it is not released, so the drive wheel 37 does not rotate. Directly above the casing 25 is an air compressor 38, with a drive wheel 39; in this example the air compressor 38 is a rotary screw compressor. A drive belt 40 links the drive wheel 37 to the drive wheel 39. A button 42 on the handlebars 15 enables the user to release the clutch mechanism 36; the clutch mechanism 36 is released only while the user presses the button 42. The air compressor 38 generates high-pressure air, thereby raising its temperature, and this air is passed through a thermally insulated duct 44 which runs partly through the frame 16 and leads to an air storage tank 46 mounted on the upwardly extending tube 14. The air storage tank 46 has an automatic discharge valve 48 at the top.
An electronic display 50 is mounted on the handlebars 15. This may display the rotation rate of the flywheel 24, and the temperature of the air in the air storage tank 46.
In use of the exercise machine 10, the clutch mechanism 36 is initially applied, because the button 42 is not depressed. The user applies force to the pedals 20, so turning the flywheel 24 faster and faster; the user may change the setting of the derailleur mechanism 34 during this stage by means of the rotatable ring 35 as the flywheel 24 rotates faster. When a sufficiently high rotation rate has been achieved, for example 2000 rpm, the user depresses the clutch release button 42, so releasing the clutch mechanism 36 so that the flywheel 24 drives the air compressor 38 through the belt 40, creating hot compressed air in the air storage tank 46. When the rotation speed of the flyheel 24 has dropped for example to 1000 rpm or 500 rpm the user stops depressing the clutch release button 42, and can pedal again to obtain faster rotation of the flywheel 24. Thus the user can repeatedly pedal to get the flywheel 24 up to speed, then release the clutch mechanism 36 to generate disinfected air, and then again pedal to get the flywheel 24 back up to speed, over and over again.
It will be appreciated that the user may only be able to provide an input power of less than 250W; but that the energy provided by the user is stored by the flywheel 24. Consequently when the clutch release button 42 is depressed, the flywheel may provide much larger power to the air compressor 38, for example 2500 W or more. This enables the air compressor 38 to operate satisfactorily and to pressurise and raise the temperature of the air very significantly. By way of example the air may be heated to above 200°C, for example to 300°C or 400°C.
As mentioned above, the article by Hessling et al showed that even in a worst-case scenario all the different types of corona virus under consideration were inactivated by elevated temperatures. The required time for this to occur depends on the temperature, and can be calculated from the equations 1 and 3 shown above. Hessling et al tabulated the requisite times for temperatures up to 120°C, but the equations land 3 quoted above can be used to extrapolate to higher temperatures, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Temperature/°C Time 7.8 min 1.4 min 18.8 s 4.0 s 1.ls 0.3 s 220 0.11 s 240 0.04s 260 0.02s It will thus be appreciated that as long as the air has been held at a temperature of for example above 240°C for more than 0.04 s, any such viruses will have been effectively inactivated.
The air can therefore be released into the surroundings. The automatic discharge valve 48 may therefore be arranged to monitor the temperature and time for which the air is held in the air storage tank 46, so the valve 48 opens to release the air into the surroundings when sufficient time has elapsed to ensure that the viruses have been inactivated.
It will be appreciated that an exercise machine of the invention may differ from that shown and described above. For example the exercise machine may be a stationary rowing machine arranged to drive a flywheel, or a running treadmill arranged to drive a flywheel; where the exercise machine is a stationary cycle, it may be a recumbent cycle rather than an upright cycle. The clutch mechanism may be automated, the clutch being automatically released when the flywheel 24 reaches a preset rotation speed. Furthermore the air compressor may be of a range of different types. The discharge valve that releases air into the surroundings may be operated manually rather than being automatic, for example being controlled by a button mounted on the handlebars 15. And where an air storage tank is provided, it may be of a different shape and size to the tank 46, and it may be mounted in a different position relative to the air compressor.
Referring now to figure 4 there is shown an alternative air disinfectng machine 60 installed under a seat 61 (indicated schematically) of a passenger vehicle. The air disinfecting machine 60 includes a high-speed flywheel 64 within a casing 65 (shown partly broken away to show the flywheel). The flywheel 64 is driven by a fractional horsepower DC motor 62, for example a 350W 12V DC motor, powered by the vehicle's electric system, which drives the flywheel 64 via a pulley and belt drive 63 to step up the rotation speed (the cover of which is shown partly broken away) Although the flywheel 64 is not as massive as the flywheel 24 described above, it can be rotated at up to 10 000 rpm, so it can store a significant amount of energy. The flywheel 64 is connected through a clutch 66 to a conical screw compressor 68. The clutch 66 connects the flywheel 64 to the compressor 68 only when it is released; at other times the flywheel 64 is not connected to the compressor 68.
The air disinfecting machine 60 is installed in a housing 70 under the seat 61. Air from outside the vehicle is brought into the compressor 68 through an inlet pipe 71 connected to an external vent 72 in the external wall of the vehicle. An outlet duct 74 from the compressor 68 leads to a storage tank 76 for compressed air; an outlet valve 78 allows air to leave the storage tank 76, the outflowing air flowing through a pipe 79 to a vent 80 under the seat 62, just above the floor of the vehicle body.
The air disinfecting machine 60 operates in a similar way to that described above, except that all the steps are performed automatically rather than under manual control. With the clutch 66 in its normal applied state, the electric motor 62 gets the flywheel 64 turning faster and faster.
When sufficient rotation speed has been reached, the clutch 66 is released so the flywheel 64 drives the compressor 68, and can provide considerably more power than that from the motor 62.
The compressor 68 therfore generates high pressure heated air, and this is stored in the storage tank 76. When the compressed air has been stored for sufficient time that viruses have been deactivated, which as explained above depends on the temperature, the outlet valve 78 is opened, so disinfected air is supplied into the body of the vehicle through the vent 80.
The flywheel 64 slows down as it drives the compressor 68; and when it reaches a lower speed threshold the clutch 66 is deactivated again, so the flywheel 64 is again driven by the motor 62 and speeded up again. This sequence can be repeated over and over again, pumping disinfected air into the body of the vehicle near the floor each time the clutch 66 is released. Louvres may be provided in the roof of the vehicle so that the disinfected air displaces the preexisting air from the body of the vehicle.

Claims (13)

  1. Claims 1. An air disinfecting machine comprising a flywheel, a drive mechanism to drive the flywheel, and an air compressor connected through a clutch to the flywheel, the air compressor having an outlet duct for compressed air, and the outlet duct being connected to an outlet valve.
  2. 2. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlet duct includes a storage tank.
  3. 3. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the operation of the outlet valve is automated.
  4. 4. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the air compressor comprises a piston that is reciprocated to and fro along a cylinder.
  5. 5. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the air compressor is a rotary screw compressor.
  6. 6. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is an exercise machine, the drive mechanism being operated by a user of the exercise machine.
  7. 7. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 6 further comprising manual means to operate the clutch.
  8. 8. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 also comprising a display.
  9. 9. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the display shows the rate of rotation of the flywheel, or indicates when the flywheel is rotating fast enough that the clutch can be released.
  10. 10. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the display also indicates the temperature of the air in the storage tank, or indicates when the air in the storage tank has had sufficient time at elevated temperature that it can be released by opening the outlet valve.
  11. 11. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 10 comprising a stationary bicycle, with cranked pedals driving the flywheel.
  12. 12. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein the drive to the flywheel incorporates a chain and a plurality of gears so the user can change the velocity ratio of the drive as the rotation rate of the flywheel varies.
  13. 13. An air disinfecting machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the velocity ratio is changed by means of a derailleur mechanism.
GB2101438.6A 2021-02-02 2021-02-02 Air disinfecting machine Withdrawn GB2604330A (en)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2174584A (en) * 1937-03-10 1939-10-03 Clifford L Imus Refrigeration apparatus
US4664372A (en) 1985-06-21 1987-05-12 Halvig Melvin W Bicycle-type exercise machine
WO2003062673A1 (en) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 Chuting Liu Pneumatic transmission system for transporting apparatus
US20090239714A1 (en) 2008-03-19 2009-09-24 Ty Sellers Exercise machine
CN205549380U (en) * 2016-04-27 2016-09-07 张立国 Multi -functional losing weight exercise bicycle
CN106274375A (en) * 2016-08-20 2017-01-04 山东金隆节能设备科技有限公司 A kind of vehicle-mounted air conditioner
CN206285413U (en) * 2016-11-28 2017-06-30 江苏平义经贸实业有限公司 Exercycle with indoor air purification humidification function
EP3246073A1 (en) 2016-05-20 2017-11-22 SportsArt Industrial Co., Ltd. Exercise treadmill capable of generating electrical power
US10022584B2 (en) 2016-02-01 2018-07-17 Cheng-Cheng Chang Stationary exercise bicycle with horizontal flywheel
US10400599B2 (en) * 2014-04-04 2019-09-03 Z Mechanism Technology Institute Co., Ltd. Expander and air refrigeration device with the same

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2174584A (en) * 1937-03-10 1939-10-03 Clifford L Imus Refrigeration apparatus
US4664372A (en) 1985-06-21 1987-05-12 Halvig Melvin W Bicycle-type exercise machine
WO2003062673A1 (en) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 Chuting Liu Pneumatic transmission system for transporting apparatus
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