Enclosed Space Air Treating Assembly

Abstract

An enclosed space air treating assembly includes a compartment having an interior. The compartment has an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein pressurized air enters into the interior through the air inlet and exits the interior through the air outlet. Pressurized air received by the air inlet is defined as received air. An atomizer is in fluid communication with the interior and supplies atomized fluid to the received air within the interior such that that the atomized fluid is carried outwardly through the air outlet. A control is in communication with the atomizer. The control turns on the atomizer intermittently for a preselected amount of time while the pressurized air flows through the compartment.

Claims

1. A drying and airborne particle delivery system configured to be in fluid communication with an enclosed space of a wall, the system including: a compartment having an interior, the compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein pressurized air enters into the interior through the air inlet and exits the interior through the air outlet, wherein pressurized air received by the air inlet is defined as received air; an atomizer being in fluid communication with the interior and being configured to supply atomized fluid to the received air within the interior such that that the atomized fluid is carried outwardly through the air outlet; and a control being in communication with the atomizer, the control turning on the atomizer intermittently for a preselected amount of time while the pressurized air flows through the compartment.

2. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 1, wherein a first condition is defined wherein the atomizer is turned off and no pressurized air flows through the interior, a second condition is defined wherein the pressurized air flows through the interior and the atomizer is turned off, a third condition is defined wherein the pressurized air flows through the interior and the atomizer is turned on, the second condition being maintained by the control for at least 50.0 minutes out of each hour that the pressurized air flows through the interior, the third condition being maintained by the control for at least 10.0 seconds out of each hour that the pressurized air flows through the interior.

3. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the atomizer comprises a sonic transducer configured to atomize a fluid in contact with the sonic transducer, the interior being configured to hold a quantity of fluid such that the sonic transducer is in contact with the fluid.

4. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 3, further including a reservoir configured to store the fluid, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the interior, a pump being in fluid communication with the container, the pump being configured to pump the fluid from the container into the interior when the pump is turned on.

5. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 2, wherein the atomizer comprises a sonic transducer configured to atomize a fluid in contact with the sonic transducer, the interior being configured to hold a quantity of fluid such that the sonic transducer is in contact with the fluid.

6. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 5, further including a reservoir configured to store the fluid, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the interior, a pump being in fluid communication with the container, the pump being configured to pump the fluid from the container into the interior when the pump is turned on.

7. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the atomizer comprises a nozzle directed into the interior.

8. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 7, further including reservoir configured to store a quantity of fluid, a conduit fluidly connecting the nozzle with the reservoir.

9. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 8, further including a pump being in fluid communication with the conduit, the pump being in communication with the control, wherein the pump pumps the fluid from the reservoir to the nozzle when the pump is turned on.

10. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 1, further including a heater being in fluid communication with the interior and being configured to heat the received air.

11. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 2, further including a heater being in fluid communication with the interior and being configured to heat the received air, the heater being in communication with the control, the control turning the heater only on during the second condition, the control turning the heater off during the third condition.

12. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 6, further including a heater being in fluid communication with the interior and being configured to heat the received air, the heater being in communication with the control, the control turning the heater only on during the second condition, the control turning the heater off during the third condition.

13. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 1, further including a blower being fluidly coupled to the air inlet and delivering the pressurized air to the air inlet when the blower is turned on.

14. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 12, further including a blower being fluidly coupled to the air inlet and delivering the pressurized air to the air inlet when the blower is turned on, the blower including at least a high output and a low output, the blower being in communication with the control, the control turning on the blower at the high output during the second condition, the control turning on the blower at the low output during the third condition.

15. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 2, further including a blower being fluidly coupled to the air inlet and delivering the pressurized air to the air inlet when the blower is turned on, the blower including at least a high output and a low output, the blower being in communication with the control, the control turning on the blower at the high output during the second condition, the control turning on the blower at the low output during the third condition.

16. The drying and airborne particle delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the control include a transceiver, the transceiver being configured to be in wireless communication with an actuator to allow remote actuation of the control.

17. A drying and airborne particle delivery system configured to be in fluid communication with an enclosed space of a wall, the system including: a compartment having an interior, the compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein pressurized air enters into the interior through the air inlet and exits the interior through the air outlet, wherein pressurized air received by the air inlet is defined as received air; an atomizer being in fluid communication with the interior and being configured to supply atomized fluid to the received air within the interior such that that the atomized fluid is carried outwardly through the air outlet; a control being in communication with the atomizer, the control turning on the atomizer intermittently for a preselected amount of time while the pressurized air flows through the compartment, a first condition being defined wherein the atomizer is turned off and no pressurized air flows through the interior, a second condition being defined wherein the pressurized air flows through the interior and the atomizer is turned off, a third condition being defined wherein the pressurized air flows through the interior and the atomizer is turned on, the second condition being maintained by the control for at least 50.0 minutes out of each hour that the pressurized air flows through the interior, the third condition being maintained by the control for at least 10.0 seconds out of each hour that the pressurized air flows through the interior; the atomizer comprising a sonic transducer configured to atomize a fluid in contact with the sonic transducer, the interior being configured to hold a quantity of fluid such that the sonic transducer is in contact with the fluid; a heater being in fluid communication with the interior and being configured to heat the received air; the heater being in communication with the control, the control turning the heater on during the second condition, the control turning the heater off during the third condition; a blower being fluidly coupled to the air inlet and delivering the pressurized air to the air inlet when the blower is turned on, the blower including at least a high output and a low output, the blower being in communication with the control, the control turning on the blower at the high output during the second condition, the control turning on the blower at the low output during the third condition; the control including a transceiver, the transceiver being configured to be in wireless communication with an actuator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0026] The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a side view of a enclosed space air treating assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a side, cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a top view of a control of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 9 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 10 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 11 thereof, a new enclosed wall space treating and drying system embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described. It should be understood that the Figures will show various combinations of elements of the enclosed space air treating assembly 10. Thus, while some Figures may include particular elements, others will not and therefore while not all possible combinations of the elements will be displayed in the Figures, it is understood that any combination of the elements discussed below is contemplated by the current disclosure.

[0039] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 11, the enclosed space air treating assembly 10 generally comprises a compartment 12 having an interior 14. The compartment 12 has an air inlet 16 and an air outlet 18. Generally, pressurized air is directed to and enters into the interior 14 through the air inlet 16 and exits the interior 14 through the air outlet 18. For the purpose of clarification and to facilitate the function of the assembly 10, pressurized air received by the air inlet 16 will be defined as received air. The source of the pressurized air will be described in more detail below.

[0040] An atomizer 20 is in fluid communication with the interior 14 and is configured to supply atomized fluid to the received air within the interior 14 such that that the atomized fluid is carried outwardly through the air outlet 18. The term atomized or atomization as used herein with respect to fluids should be considered analogous to those devices which create droplets of fluid between 0.1 microns and 30 microns in size. Consequently, atomization may be replaced by misting, fogging, nebulization, and the like, each of which differ from evaporation of the fluid. In one embodiment, the atomizer 20 comprises a sonic transducer 22 configured to atomize a fluid in contact with the sonic transducer 22. The term sonic transducer, as used herein, is used to define convention sonic and ultrasonic transducers which, when turned on while in contact with a fluid 24, are capable of atomizing the fluid 24. In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the interior 14 is configured to hold a quantity of fluid 24 and the sonic transducer 22 is positioned such that the sonic transducer 22 is in contact with the fluid 24. Typically a plurality of sonic transducers 22 will be used simultaneously and will vibrate at an extremely high frequency, such as, for example, 1.65 million vibrations per second. A fluid level detector 26 may be provided for turning of the sonic transducer 22 should the fluid level drop below a point where the sonic transducer 22 is no longer submerged so that the sonic transducer 22 is turned off to prevent overheating.

[0041] While the compartment 12 may contain the fluid 24 in such a quantity that the compartment 12 itself is regularly filled with the fluid 12, a reservoir 28 may be added which is in fluid communication with the compartment 12 such that the fluid 24 in the reservoir 28 flows into the interior 14 as needed. This may be accomplished with a mechanical float and valve combination apparatus controlling gravity fed fluid to the interior 14 or a pump may be utilized to pump the fluid 24 from the reservoir 28 to the interior 14. Regardless, the reservoir 28 may be filled as needed without having access to the interior 14. The reservoir 28 may be formed as a unitary structure attached to or placed within the compartment 12 or may be a separate structure.

[0042] In another embodiment, the atomizer 20 may comprise a nozzle 30, or mistifier nozzle, through which the fluid 24 is ejected under very high pressures such as between 1000 psi and 3000 psi but this may be lowered should the fluid be mixed with air before being ejected by the nozzle 30. The reservoir 28 holds a quantity of fluid 24 and a conduit 32 fluidly connects the nozzle 30 with the reservoir 28 such that the conduit 32 delivers the fluid 24 to the nozzle 30. It should be appreciated that as with the sonic transducer 22 embodiment, the interior 14 of the compartment 12 itself may serve as the reservoir since the pressurized air may simply flow over the fluid 24 when it is in a non-atomized state. Further, the reservoir 28 may again be either attached to the compartment 12 or provided as a separate structure as shown in FIG. 8. A pump 34 is in fluid communication with the conduit 32. The pump 34 pumps the fluid from the reservoir 28 to the nozzle 30 when the pump 34 is turned on with a sufficient enough pressure to cause the fluid 24 to be atomized into a mist that will be directed into the pressurized air. In this embodiment, the interior 14 may simply comprise an air conduit as opposed to a housing type structure shown in the Figures. The interior 14 may include a condensate collector 36 to capture any condensation formed during usage of the nozzle 30.

[0043] A control 38 is in communication with the atomizer 20. The control 38 turns on the atomizer 20 intermittently for a preselected amount of time while the pressurized air flows through the compartment 12. That is, while the pressurized air may flow through the compartment 12 for an extended amount of time, the predetermined time constitutes a fractional portion of that extended time. While the atomization may occur at any time, the preselected amount of time will typically occur only when the pressurized air flows through the compartment 12. Should the pump 34 be used with a nozzle 30, the pump 34 will be in communication with the control 38 such that the pump 38 only supplies fluid to the nozzle 30 at times set generally by the parameters herein or by the user of the assembly 10.

[0044] The assembly 10 may be operated under several varying combinations of conditions, some of which will be described herein for illustrative purposes. A first condition is defined wherein the atomizer 20 is turned off and no pressurized air flows through the interior 14. The first condition generally includes the assembly 10 not in operation. A second condition is defined wherein the pressurized air flows through the interior and the atomizer 20 is turned off. The second condition, for reasons described below, will typically comprise a vast majority of the operating usage of the assembly 10. A third condition is defined wherein the pressurized air flows through the interior and the atomizer 20 is turned on. When the atomizer 20 is to be used, the second condition is typically maintained by the control for at least 50.0 minutes out of each hour that the pressurized air flows through the interior, whereas the third condition is typically maintained by the control for at least 10.0 seconds out of each hour that the pressurized air flows through the interior. Generally 50.0 minutes would be an absolute minimum for the first condition and it would be unusual for the second condition to be utilized for less than 55.0 minutes out of each hour. For reasons described below, the third condition will preferably be maintained for less than 5.0 minutes per 1.0 hour of operation of the assembly 10, and more preferably 2.0 minutes or less. Additionally, there may be some applications where the third condition is maintained for 30 seconds or less out of each hour the assembly 10 is producing air to be injected into a wall space. However, it is the third condition which will typically dictate the parameters as different fluids 24 will require different application times. However, as mentioned above, the third condition will nearly always utilize 1/12 or less of the time of assembly 10 operation.

[0045] It should be understood, that terms hours, minutes and seconds are being used as examples only and that the intermittent nature of the atomizer being operated may be determined by any units of time as long as the fraction of time that the atomizer 20 is operational compared to the time pressurized air moves through the interior is within the parameters stated above. Thus, the third condition could be maintained, for example, for 5 minutes out of every 100 minutes that the interior 14 receives air. However, since it is conventional to use drying devices for a set number of hours and the atomizer 20 will typically be used for less than 2 to 3 minutes per hour, the hour having been selected as the time unit for explanation purposes.

[0046] A heater 40 is in fluid communication with the interior 14 and is configured to heat the received air. Alternatively, the heater 14 may be positioned to heat the pressurized air after it has exited the interior and before it is supplied to the interior wall space 42 of a wall 44. Generally, the heater 40 will heat any pressurized air after the air is pressurized by a blower 46. This positioning is utilized to reduce wear on a blower motor of a blower 46 that is fluidly coupled to the air inlet 16. The blower 46 delivers the pressurized air to the air inlet 16 when the blower 46 is turned on. However, supplying heated air to a blower 46 reduces the lifespan of the blower 46 as its components would be subjected to air that is often heated in excess of 120 F. While the blower 46 is shown in FIG. 1 as a separate unit, the compartment 12 may be divided into chambers such that the blower 46 is positioned within the compartment in one chamber while the atomizer 20 is placed in a separate chamber.

[0047] The heater 40 is in communication with the control 38 wherein the control 38 turns the heater 40 on during the second condition. Typically, the control 38 will turn the heater 40 off during the third condition and the heater 40 will be turned off when the blower 46 is turned off. This will prevent the atomized fluid from evaporating as it travels to the wall space 42. It is important that the fluid 24 remain in an atomized state, and not a gaseous state, so that it can attach itself to the surfaces bounding the interior, or enclosed, wall space 42. Therefore, the control 38 will not only intermittently control the atomization of the fluid 24, but also intermittently turn on the heater 40 only during those times of atomization where the evaporation of the fluid 24 into a gas is not preferred. The heater 40 may include any conventional means utilized for heating air though electric heating coils would typically be utilized. However, a propane or other gas heater may also be incorporated into the assembly 10. A thermostat 48 may be in communication with the flow of air between the heater 40 and the wall space 42 and in communication with the heater 40 to control the temperature of the flow of air.

[0048] The blower 46 may include multiple other settings such as at least a high output and a low output. The blower 46 may be in communication with and actuated by the control 38 wherein the control 38 turns on the blower 46 at the high output during the second condition but turns on the blower 46 at the low output during the third condition. This is advantageous as at high output back pressure from air moving into the wall spaces 42 will hinder movement of the atomized fluid into the wall spaces 42. A lower air speed, and thus lower air pressure with reduced back pressure, has been found to more effectively move atomized fluid through the wall spaces 42. The air may be treated before entering the blower 46 by an air filter which is used to capture any particulate found in the air being moved by the blower. Additionally, a water trap may be in communication with the blower 46 to prevent water particles from entering and damaging the blower 46. If the air being moved by the blower 46 is high in humidity, the air may be treated with a dryer such as for example with a desiccant dryer.

[0049] The control 38 may be provided in any number of conventional structures. For example, the control may include a keypad, such as the one depicted in FIG. 6, mounted on the compartment 12 and including input keys for selecting the amount of time the atomizer 20 will operate relative to time the blower 46 is being used. The control 38 will typically include a processor, control circuit 50 or the like programmed to set the blower 46 and heater 40 settings according to the type of fluid 24 being used and the purpose for which the assembly 10 is being used. Thus, the control 38 may include pre-programmed settings for different fluids such as odor-counteractants, sanitizers for reducing microbial growth, fungistatics to inhibit mold proliferation, fungicides, or pesticides. Each fluid 24 will typically have its own preferred settings as its ability to remain atomized and not transition to a gas will differ from fluid to fluid. Additionally, each fluid 24 will have its own effective dispersive volume wherein some fluid will require less than one minute per hour for an effective coverage while others may require multiple minutes per hour. Consequently, the control 38 may be programmed for each fluid 24 anticipated to be used with the assembly 10. Furthermore, the control 38 may be programmed to accept input as to the total volume of interior wall space which will be treated with the atomized fluid. Thus, the control 38 will increase or decrease the amount of time that fluid is being atomized.

[0050] In one embodiment, the control 38 includes a transceiver 52 that is configured to be in wireless communication with an actuator 54. Thus, the control 38 may be actuated wirelessly and remotely by way of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular or other radio frequencies, for example. The actuator 54 may include a stand-alone actuator in communication with the control 38 or may comprise an application which may be utilized in combination with a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, computer, or tablet computer, for example. The assembly 10 may include conventional system indicators 56 for humidity, temperature and fluid levels which may be transmitted to the actuator 56 for viewing by an operator of the assembly 10.

[0051] In use, the air outlet 18 is fluidly coupled to delivery network of tubing 58 or conduits which, in turn, carries the pressurized air to the interior wall spaces 42 requiring treatments and/or drying. This may be facilitated by usage of a manifold 60 that is directly coupled to the air outlet 18, or directly to the compartment 12 as shown in FIG. 2, and which includes a plurality of tube outlets 62. Though positioning may occur in several positions, the heater 40 may be positioned in the manifold 60. Each tube outlet 62 is fluidly engaged to a flexible tube 64. The flexible tubes 64 each include a distal end 66, with respect to the manifold 60, that is extended through openings in the wall 44 surface such that the distal end 66 is extended into the enclosed wall space 42 of the wall 44. A plurality of tubes 64 is utilized so that air may be directed where needed and to ensure full coverage of all wall spaces 42 which may be separated from each other by interior structures, insulation and the like.

[0052] During usage, the blower 46 is turned on to supply pressurized air into the interior 14 of the compartment 12. The pressurized air may be heated such that is has an elevated temperature when it enters the tubes 58/64 and can thereafter be used for drying wetted interior surfaces of the walls 40. Intermittently, the control 38 will activate the atomizer 20 such that the fluid 24 is atomized and directed toward the flow of the pressurized air and is carried outwardly by the pressurized air through the air outlet 18 and into the air tubes 58/64. The atomized fluid moves through the interior spaces 42 of the wall 44. While traveling through the enclosed spaces, the atomized fluids trap particulate within the air and adhere to the surfaces bounding the enclosed spaces. While the atomizer 20 is being operated, the control 38 will typically turn off the heater 40 to prevent changing the state of the atomized fluid to a gas. Furthermore, the blower 46 will have a reduction in output to lower the back pressure created when the blower 46 is being operated at high output, such as when the assembly 10 is being used for drying alone.

[0053] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0054] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word comprising is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article a does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.