Ventilation assembly

Abstract

A ventilation assembly includes an air intake channel; a delivery channel; a generating device of an air stream between the intake channel and the delivery channel; a filtering section of the air stream to decrease, if not eliminate, the presence of particulate in the air stream. The filtering section includes a filter having a containment body provided with an intake opening and a delivery opening for the air stream passing therethrough, and air-tight bulkheads, arranged inside the containment body and shaped to force the air stream to collide therewith and with the inner walls of the containment body, the bulkheads and the containment body having a section portion suitable for being penetrated by the particulate in the air stream so as to retain it therein.

Claims

1. A ventilation assembly comprising: an intake channel (2) of air from a surrounding room; a delivery channel (3); a generating device (4) of an air stream between said intake channel (2) and delivery channel (3); and a filtering section (5; 105) of the air stream to decrease or eliminate a presence of particulate in the air stream, said filtering section (5; 105) being operatively positioned at any point of the ventilation assembly (1) between an inlet end (8) of said intake channel (2) and an outlet end (9) of said delivery channel (3), wherein said filtering section (5; 105) comprises at least one filter (10; 110) having: a containment body (12) provided with an intake opening (13) and a delivery opening (14) for the air stream passing therethrough; and further comprising one or more air-tight bulkheads (15), arranged within said containment body (12) and shaped to force the air stream to flow between, and collide with, said one or more bulkheads (15) and inner walls of said containment body (12), said one or more bulkheads (15) and said containment body (12) having at least one section portion with an air-tight outer layer made of a gel, which is configured to be impacted by, and retain therein, the particulate in the air stream, said one or more bulkheads (15) identifying a path free of obstacles for the air stream between said intake opening (13) and said delivery opening (14), wherein said one or more bulkheads (15) have a helical shape.

2. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein said outer layer of said section portion of said one or more bulkheads is softer than a remainder of said bulkheads.

3. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said one or more bulkheads (15) is ionized to attract and retain ionized particles.

4. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, further comprising at least one turbulence generator arranged proximal to said intake opening of said filter.

5. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein said containment body (12) is shaped as a cylinder.

6. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein said at least one filter in said filtering section (105) comprises two or more of said filters (110) operatively arranged in parallel with each other.

7. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein said at least one filter in said filtering section (105) comprises two or more of said filters (110) operatively arranged in series with each other.

8. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein said generating device (4) of said air stream comprises a mechanical fan.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in light of the detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a ventilation assembly according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 represents a ventilation assembly according to the invention in a schematic view;

(3) FIGS. 2 and 3 represent some details of the ventilation assembly of FIG. 1;

(4) FIGS. 4 and 5 show some details of a variant embodiment of the ventilation assembly of the invention in a schematic view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(5) With reference to the above-mentioned figures, and in particular to FIG. 1, described herein is a ventilation assembly 1 according to the invention.

(6) The ventilation assembly 1 can be used for various purposes. As said, the present invention is not limited to assemblies with forced ventilation of mechanical or electromechanical origin, but also to differently operated assemblies such as those operated manually.

(7) In any case, like all such assemblies, even that of the invention comprises at least an air intake channel 2 from the room surrounding the opening of the intake channel 2 itself. There is also a delivery channel 3 for blowing the air at the destination, where the destination may be the oral cavity of a person or a closed room where there is a need to replace or condition the air.

(8) The assembly 1 of the invention further comprises an air stream generating device 4 between the intake channel 2 and the delivery channel 3.

(9) As mentioned above, the generating device 4 can be constructed in different ways. For example, it can consist of a fan or a vacuum pump or a manually operated Ambu bag. In other words, the embodiment of such a component can be of any type and should not be considered as limiting for the invention since what matters is that the generating device 4 generates the air stream between the intake channel 2 and the delivery channel 3. It follows that the ventilation assembly 1 of the invention is typically of the type for forced ventilation.

(10) It is also apparent that the number of intake and delivery channels as well as the number of air stream generating devices are not limiting features of the present invention since in the described ventilation assembly, they may be in any quantity whatsoever according to the requirements of use.

(11) According to an aspect of the invention, the assembly 1 also comprises a filtering section 5 of the air stream to decrease, if not cancel, the presence of particulate in the air coming out from the delivery channel 3.

(12) For this purpose, it is apparent that the positioning of such filtering section 5 is irrelevant for the purposes of the invention. In other words, it can be arranged at any point between the inlet end 8 of the intake channel 2 and the outlet end 9 of the delivery channel 3.

(13) Also, the number of filtering sections is not to be intended as a limiting characteristic for the invention since in the ventilation assembly that is described they can also be in any quantity whatsoever according to the requirements of use.

(14) According to another aspect of the invention, the filtering section 5 comprises at least one filter 10, visible in FIG. 2, having a containment body 12 provided with an intake opening 13 and a delivery opening 14 for the air stream passing through it. Typically, the containing body 10 has a cylindrical shape, but even this aspect must not be considered as limiting for the invention, the shaping of the containment body being of any type. Also, the number of intake and delivery openings are non-limiting characteristics of the invention, such openings being able to be in any number whatsoever.

(15) According to a further aspect of the invention, the filter 10 comprises, inside it, a bulkhead 15 visible in FIG. 3. It is air-tight and shaped to force the air stream to collide with it and with the inner walls of the containment body 12 in transit between the intake opening 13 and the delivery opening 14. Furthermore, the bulkhead 15 and the inner walls of the containment body 12 have a section portion, starting from the surface of the bulkhead 15, suitable to be penetrated by the particulate present in the air stream.

(16) Advantageously, therefore, the bulkheads 15 are arranged in such a way that the air stream follows a path which causes it to have one or more collisions with them and with the aforementioned inner walls. However, since both the bulkhead 15 and the containment body 12 are air-tight, the bulkhead 15 typically accompanies the air stream between the intake opening 13 and the delivery opening 14 thus constituting a minimum obstacle to such flow with respect to known filters where the air stream must pass through the bulkhead. Still advantageously, the collisions of the air stream with the bulkhead 15 and the walls of the containment body 12 also lead also the particulate and the bacteria that the stream itself carries to collide with them. Due, therefore, to the section portion, they penetrate into the bulkhead 15 and into the containment body 12 and are retained there. Therefore, the risk, as in the cyclonic filters, that a part of the particulate is collected again by the air stream and brought to the delivery opening 14 is avoided.

(17) As a consequence, not only does the filter 10 constitute a lower load compared to the known technique for the air stream, softly affecting the pressure of the same, but also allows to obtain an excellent filtering efficiency obtaining at least equal results, if not generally higher, to known equivalent filters.

(18) Typically, the section portion suitable for retaining the particulate in the air stream consists of a layer of material with viscoelastic features arranged to cover the surface of the bulkhead 15 and the inner walls of the containment body 12. An example, in this sense, is the use of water-based or fat-based gel. However, this feature should not be considered as a limiting feature for the invention. The section portion subjected to collisions, in fact, can be made differently. According to another embodiment, in fact, the bulkhead and containment body are made of a single material and the section portion consists of a superficial softening of the material itself. According to another embodiment of the invention, the whole bulkhead can be penetrated by the particulate.

(19) According to another aspect of the invention, however, a portion of the bulkhead 15 is ionized to attract and retain ionized particulates, but also this feature of the invention should not be considered as limiting.

(20) It is apparent that also the number of bulkheads in the filter 10 is not a limiting feature for the invention since they can be in any quantity whatsoever according to the purposes of use of the ventilation assembly 1.

(21) However, according to a further aspect of the invention, the shaping of the bulkhead 15 is made in such a way as to promote not only collisions of the air stream with itself, but also the passage of such stream from the intake opening 13 to the delivery opening 14. In this sense, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention represented in the figures, the bulkhead 15 has a helical shape. This allows, advantageously, to reduce the obstacle opposite to the air stream in transit and at the same time, generating turbulence, to promote the greatest number of collisions between the particulate contained therein and the bulkhead 15.

(22) Obviously, even such aspect must not be considered as limiting for the invention. The bulkheads, in fact, can be shaped in any way provided that they constitute the smallest possible obstacle to the air stream and the most equal to the equivalent filters of the prior art. It is apparent that any shaping is able to generate turbulence inside the filter 10 and it satisfies the purpose correctly.

(23) For example, according to another embodiment of the invention, not shown in the drawings, the bulkheads are more than one and shaped to provide a labyrinthine path for the air stream.

(24) Moreover, according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, also not shown in the figures, the helical bulkhead has a variable and decreasing pitch between the intake opening and the delivery opening. In this case, advantageously, there is a progressive reduction of the passage section and a further increase in turbulence effect.

(25) According to a further aspect of the invention, however, a turbulence generator is present close to the intake opening 13 of the filter 10, although not shown in the figures. According to some exemplary embodiments, the latter consists of aerodynamic profiles having the function of generating controlled turbulence. This allows, advantageously, to be able to shape the bulkheads 15 so as to reduce the head losses while maintaining an excellent turbulence value inside the filter 10. Said profiles can be, according to different embodiments of the invention, multiples and with a differentiated passage section (also decreasing to obtain a blowing effect).

(26) As it has been seen, therefore, the filter 10 of the filtering section 5 has, with the same operation effectiveness on the air stream, smaller dimensions than in the prior art. This allows, using the same overall dimensions, to use several filters 10 in combination.

(27) In this sense, according to a variant embodiment of the invention represented in FIG. 4, the filtering section 105 comprises a first plurality 120 of filters 110 operatively arranged in parallel with each other. In this way, advantageously, the operation of the filters 110 on the air stream is partitioned by reducing the obstacle offered to the stream itself (and thus decreasing the negative effect on the stream pressure).

(28) As a result, according to another aspect of the invention, the embodiment variant also has the arrangement, operatively in series, of first plurality 120 of filters 110 which, as can also be inferred from FIG. 5, allows to increase the filtering efficiency of the air stream.

(29) Advantageously, therefore, it is possible to choose to arrange multiple filters 110 operatively in series and/or in parallel to keep the impact on the air stream pressure low while increasing the filtering efficiency.

(30) It is evident that the combination in series and parallel between filters and filter groups may be of any type without departing from the scope of protection of the present patent.

(31) To point out these aspects, it should be noted that some examples of filters of the known art have diameters having sections with a diameter in order of 10 cm and lengths also in the order of 10 cm. In the case of the invention, an equivalent filter 10 has a section with a diameter of 1 cm and a length even less than a centimetre. It is evident, therefore, that in the same volume numerous filters 10 according to the invention can be arranged in parallel and in series. In particular, ten filters 10 can be arranged in series on a single line, substantially increasing the filtering efficiency tenfold.

(32) Operatively, therefore, the generating device 4 induces an air stream between the intake channel 2 and the delivery channel 3 by drawing air from the outside. When the air stream passes through the filtering section 5, it passes through the filter 10. The helical conformation of the bulkhead 15 accompanies the air stream towards the outlet of the filter 10 with a minimum obstacle.

(33) However, the turbulence that is created causes collisions between the suspended particulate in the air stream and the bulkhead 15. The particulate then penetrates the bulkhead 15 and remains trapped there.

(34) In light of the foregoing, it is understood that the ventilation assemblies of the invention reach all the intended purposes.

(35) In particular, it allows to obtain an outlet air stream in which the presence of particulate and bacterial load is at most equal to the equivalent assemblies of the prior art while presenting a reduced obstacle to the air stream with respect to the equivalent assemblies of the known art.

(36) Ultimately the assembly of the invention presents a filtering section which is not cumbersome or which, having the same overall dimensions, has a filtering efficiency higher than the equivalent assemblies of the prior art. It is also less expensive both in terms of production costs and in terms of operating costs.

(37) The invention might be subject to many changes and variants, which are all included in the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may furthermore be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials may be different depending on the needs, without departing from the protection scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.