Abstract
The invention relates to a device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body, in particular for use in a humid room, such as a bathroom. The invention further relates to a radiation unit intended for use in such a device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body, in particular for use in a humid room, such as a bathroom.
Claims
1. Device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body, comprising: an upright housing comprising a circumferential wall and a rear wall connected to said circumferential wall, wherein said upright housing defines an accommodating spaces; at least one radiation unit accommodated within said accommodating space, wherein each radiation unit comprises at least one radiation source for radiating UV and/or IR radiation, and at least one reflector; and at least one radiation transmitting wall to close, the accommodating space at least partially, wherein each radiation unit comprises at least one rear reflector and at least one front reflector positioned in front of said rear reflector and connected, directly or indirectly, to said rear reflector, such that at least a part of a front surface of the rear reflector is facing towards at least a part of a rear surface of the front reflector, wherein each radiation source is positioned in front of said front reflector, and wherein the reflector assembly of the rear reflector and front reflector is mounted hingeably within the housing.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one front reflector and the at least one rear reflector mutually enclose a space.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one radiation source is mounted to at least one front reflector.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one IR radiation source is mounted to at least one reflector of said front reflector and said rear reflector by means of at least one metal comprising mounting element.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one front reflector is at least partially made of a highly reflective material.
6. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one front reflector is at least partially curved and/or wherein at least one radiation source is mounted to at least one rear reflector and/or wherein at least one UV radiation source is mounted to at least one reflector of said front reflector and said rear reflector by means of at least one metal comprising mounting element.
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one rear reflector is at least partially made of a heat absorbing material and/or wherein at least one rear reflector is at least partially curved or angular and/or wherein the front reflector and rear reflector are mutually connected at facing lateral edges.
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one front reflector comprises at least one through-hole for passing through of at least one mounting element of at least one radiation source.
13. (canceled)
14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector assembly is hingeably connected to a stationary reflector mounting frame or mounting strip which is fixedly attached to the housing.
15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector assembly is hingeable between an operational state and a service state giving access to a space behind the reflector assembly, wherein the reflector assembly is initially, before first maintenance is secured in the operational state by means of one or more breakable connections between the reflector assembly and the stationary mounting frame or housing.
16. (canceled)
17. The device according to claim 1, wherein opposing inner surfaces of the circumferential wall are provided with support elements, and wherein said wall is provided with a support frame, directly or indirectly, attached to a rear side of said wall, wherein said support frame comprises a plurality of slots configured to co-act with the support elements of the housing for mounting the radiation transmitting wall to the housing.
18. (canceled)
19. (canceled)
20. (canceled)
21. (canceled)
22. (canceled)
23. (canceled)
24. (canceled)
25. (canceled)
26. (canceled)
27. (canceled)
28. The device according to claim 1, wherein a resilient sealing material is present in between the housing and the radiation transmitting wall.
29. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises an inner radiation transmitting wall, covering the at least one radiation unit, and preferably connected to said at least one radiation unit, and an outer radiation transmitting wall, covering said inner radiation transmitting wall, and connected to the housing to close the accommodating space at least partially, wherein the inner radiation transmitting wall and outer radiation transmitting wall are spaced apart, and preferably are oriented mutually parallel.
30. (canceled)
31. (canceled)
32. (canceled)
33. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a plurality of radiation units comprising a plurality of radiation sources, wherein preferably at least two radiation sources are mounted on the same reflector.
34. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises an outer casing configured to enclose the housing at least partially, wherein said casing is preferably configured to be encased in a wall of a humid room and/or wherein at least a part of a front surface of the rear reflector is facing towards at least a part of a rear surface of the front reflector, such that said mutually facing surfaces are situated at a distance.
35. (canceled)
36. The device according to claim 1, wherein the front reflector substantially entirely covers and/or hides the rear reflector.
37. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one, preferably each, reflector of the front reflector and the rear reflector comprises a number of facets, wherein the front reflector comprises more facets compared to the rear reflector.
38. (canceled)
39. The device according to claim 37, wherein the facets of the front reflector are at an angle to define, in cross-section, a substantially parabolic shape of the front reflector.
40. The device according to claim 1, wherein opposing side edges of the front reflector engage to opposing side edges of the rear reflector, respectively and/or, wherein at least one reflector of the front reflector and rear reflector, defines a longitudinal axis which extends in a direction which is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of at least one radiation source of said radiation unit.
41. (canceled)
42. A radiation unit for use in a device according to claim 1, comprising at least one rear reflector and at least one front reflector positioned in front of said rear reflector and connected, directly or indirectly, to said rear reflector, wherein each radiation source is positioned in front of said front reflector.
Description
[0036] The present invention will hereinafter be further elucidated based on the following non-limitative drawings, wherein:
[0037] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a housing of the device according to the invention;
[0039] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged portion of the housing as shown in FIG. 2;
[0040] FIGS. 4a and 4b respectively show a pair of coupling elements of two housing segments;
[0041] FIG. 4c depicts the coupling elements of FIGS. 4a and 4b in coupled condition;
[0042] FIG. 5 depicts a bottom side of the device according to the invention;
[0043] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the device;
[0044] FIGS. 7a and 7b show a cross section of the device along respectively an air inlet and an air outlet of the housing;
[0045] FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a top side of the device;
[0046] FIG. 9 depicts an opened up perspective view of the housing according to the invention;
[0047] FIGS. 10a and 10b show a part of a first locking slot and a second locking slot of a glass frame respectively;
[0048] FIG. 11 shows a cross section in width direction of a part of the device;
[0049] FIG. 12 shows a cross section in width direction of the device;
[0050] FIG. 13 shows a cross section of the housing and reflector system;
[0051] FIGS. 14a and 14b show a locking lip in an unlocked and in a locked position respectively; and
[0052] FIGS. 15a-15e show the device in different installed conditions.
[0053] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body 1 according to a non-limitative embodiment of the present invention. Thereto, the device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body (1) is provided with a plurality of housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) which together form a lighting housing. The device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body at least comprises a bottom housing segment (2a), a top housing segment (2b), and at least one intermediate housing segment (2). In this exemplary embodiment the device for radiating UV and/or IR radiation to a human body (1) is provided with three intermediate housing segments (2), such as to form a larger device (1). That is, the number of intermediate housing segments (2) can be easily adjusted to increase or decrease the size of the device (1) in order to fit to a specific purpose or location. The embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 is provided with two sets of mounting brackets (4). This particular type of mounting bracket (4) is in particular suitable for mounting the device (1) in a corner where two walls meet. Although it is preferred to be a perpendicular corner between two walls, the invention is not limited thereto. The angle between the two mounting brackets (4) can be adjusted to suit the corner. It is also conceivable that the device (1) is connected to a wall, to this end the device (1) may be provided with an alternative mounting bracket (4). A, preferably transparent, outer glass sheet (3) may be provided on top of the device (1). Around the perimeter of said transparent outer glass sheet (3) there may be a border sheet (3), which may be either formed out of glass, or another material. It is conceivable that if said border sheet (3) is composed out of glass, it may be integrally connected to the outer glass sheet (3), wherein by means of for example a material treatment, said border sheet (3) may have been given a different appearance. It is conceivable that said outer sheet and/or border sheet (3, 3) are provided with a glass frame or support frame. Said frame may be adhered by means of an adhesive or the like. Preferably, the sheets of glass (3, 3) extend beyond the perimeter of the frame for providing a more attractive appearance. Alternatively, the border sheet (3) may be integrally formed by a frame, and wherein said border sheet (3) serves as a surface for attaching the outer glass sheet (3) to. Said frame may be for example formed out of a plastic, or for example aluminum. On the flat surfaces of said frame, which as such form the border sheet (3) the outer glass sheet (3) may be adhered
[0054] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the housing of the device (1). In this figure the housing is embodied by a bottom housing segment (2a), a top housing segment (2b), and one intermediate housing segment (2) provided between said bottom and top housing segments (2a, 2b). Each of the top and bottom housing segments (2a, 2b) comprise a side wall (7) which extends along at least three sides of said housing segment (2a, 2b), the intermediate housing segment (2) may comprise at least two side walls (7) extending along two opposing edges of the intermediate housing segment (2). On top of the side wall (7) a housing edge may be provided, which may extend along at least one of the side walls (7) of each housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). The housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) are configured to be mutually connected to each other. In order to connect the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) to each other, the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) are provided with first coupling edge (5) and a second coupling edge (6). The first and or second coupling edges (5, 6) may also be referred to as coupling profiles (5, 6). In particular each bottom housing segment (2a) comprises at least a first coupling edge (5), and each intermediate housing segment (2) comprises bot a first and second coupling edge (5, 6), and the top housing segment comprises at least a second coupling edge (6). The first coupling edges (5) are configured for coupling with a second coupling edge (6) of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Since the device (1) according to the invention is in particular suitable for use in humid or wet environments, such as a shower, the device (1) should be able to prevent water from entering the system. To this end, the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) are at least partially overlapping, it is conceivable that said overlapping portions form part of the coupling edges (5, 6). As shown in FIG. 2, the top housing segment (2b) comprises a side wall portion (14), wherein an interior side of the side wall portion (14) will in installed condition abut against the exterior side of the side wall portion (15) of the intermediate housing segment (2) the top housing segment (2b) is connected to. Hence the side wall portions (14, 15) overlap when the top housing segment (2b) is connected to the intermediate housing segment (2). This overlap may prevent water from seeping in through a gap. In order to align two housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) the housing segments are provided with guide elements (18, 19), which may additionally serve as an extra lock between two housing segments (2, 2a, 2b), which will be elaborated with reference to FIGS. 4a and 4b. The circle depicted with reference (i) is shown in FIG. 3 in more detail, with reference to which figure the respective first and second coupling edges (5, 6) will be elaborated in more detail.
[0055] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of the bottom housing segment (2a) and the intermediate housing segments (2) as shown in FIG. 2. The first coupling edge (5) comprises two edge locking elements (8), said two edge locking elements (8) configured for releasably lockingly co-acting with two edge locking slots (9), or complementary counterlocking elements (9), of an adjacent second coupling edge (6). Further, the first locking edge (5) is provided with three locking recesses (11, 13), wherein two locking recesses (11) are provided in a part of the side wall (7) of a housing segment (2, 2a, 2b), and one locking recess (13) is provided in a bottom surface of a housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Said locking recesses (11, 13) of the first coupling edge (5) are configured for releasably lockingly co-acting with three locking protrusions (10, 12) of an adjacent second coupling edge (6). Two locking protrusions (10) are provided in a part of the side wall (7) of a housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) such as to co act with the two locking recesses (11) that are in a part of the side wall (7) of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Similarly, the locking protrusion (12) provided in the bottom surface of the housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) is configured to co-act with the locking recess (13) provided in the bottom surface of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b).
[0056] In a coupled condition of the two housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) the two locking recesses (11) provided in a part of the side wall (7) of the housing, together with the locking protrusions provided in a part of the side wall (7) of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) are configured for restricting a movement of two coupled housing segments that is situated in the plane of the side wall (7). Similarly, the locking protrusion (12) provided in the bottom surface, together with the locking recess of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) are configured for restricting a movement of two coupled housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) that is situated in the plane of the bottom surface. Complementary to the locking recesses (11, 13) and the locking protrusions (10, 12), two adjacent housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) are further mutually locked through two edge locking elements (8) provided on an end portion of a part of the rim of a housing segment (2, 2a, 2b), said two edge locking elements (8) are configured for releasably lockingly co-acting with two edge locking slots (9) which are situated on an end portion of a part of the rim of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Said edge locking elements (8) and edge locking slots (9) at least partially prevent the two locked housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) to move in a direction parallel to the rim. Further to the aforementioned, two co-acting guide elements (18, 19) are provided, one on each of the first or second coupling edge (5, 6). In coupled condition of two adjacent housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) said co-acting guide elements (18, 19) abut against one another, whereas during the coupling, the two co-acting guide elements (18, 19) may be used to slide over one another, such as to facilitate a proper coupling. All of the mentioned elements that are used four coupling two adjacent housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) may be beneficial to the waterproofing of the housing. To this end, at least one of the locking recesses (11, 13) or locking protrusions (10, 12) may further be provided with a sealing member. Such a sealing member may for example be a rubber ring, which is fitted in or around the at least one of the locking recesses (11, 13) or locking protrusions (10, 12) such as to further prevent water from flowing therethrough. Preferably, at least one housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) is provided with a support element (20), which is configured for guiding a (part of a) frame.
[0057] FIGS. 4a and 4b show a portion of the first and second coupling edge (5, 6) respectively, in particular the edge locking element (8) and the edge locking slot (9) of two respective housing segments (2, 2a, 2b). The edge locking element (8) may be in the form of a block (21), which may comprise two recessed slots (27), said slots (27) each at least partially extending over a part of two opposing side surfaces of the block (21), and both extending to at least one end surface of the block (21) both opposing surfaces are connected to. As such an H shaped bottom side is formed as depicted in FIG. 4a. At a distance from the block (21) there may be a second edge locking element (22) in the form of a protrusion (22). Additionally or alternatively, a third edge locking element (23) may be provided on the first coupling edge (5). Said third edge locking element (23) may be provided on one of the guide elements (18). FIG. 4b depicts the edge locking slot (9) of the second coupling edge (6). On an upper side of the edge, an edge recess (28) is provided, in which edge recess (28) two retaining protrusions (24) are situated. Said retaining protrusions are situated at opposing sides of the edge recess (28). The aforementioned recessed slots (27) provided in the block (21) are configured to co-act with the retaining protrusions (24) of the edge recess (28) of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). At a distance from the edge recess (28) a cut-out notch (25) is provided. Said cut-out notch (25) is configured to receive a second edge locking element (22) of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Further a fourth locking element (26) is provided on a second coupling edge (6), in particular on a guiding element (19) of the second coupling edge (6). Said fourth edge locking element (26) is configured to co-act with a third edge locking element (23) of an adjacent housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Said third and fourth edge locking elements (23, 26) may in an coupled condition of two adjacent housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) be coupled through a retaining ring. The cut-out notch (25) and the edge recess (28) of the second coupling edge (6) are mutually separated by a channel (29). Said channel (29) may extend along the entire edge of a housing segment (2, 2a, 2b). Further, the edge of at least a part of the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) may comprise an outer upward portion (65), which portion may define a part of an insertion space for a part of the outer glass sheet (3) or the outer glass sheet frame (40, 41), in particular for the parallel frame portion (41). Said parallel frame portion (41) may in fully installed position of the outer glass sheet (3) be substantially flush with the outer upward portion (65) of the edge. In FIG. 4c, a part of the first and second coupling profile (5, 6) are depicted in a coupled condition. In particular the edge locking element (8) and the edge locking slot (9) of two respective housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) are in coupled condition. As such, a seam (68) is formed between the two housing segments (2, 2a, 2b). The seam (68), seen from a top view, has a substantially non-linear shape. In this particular embodiment the seam is block-shaped. In order to prevent water from penetrating into the housing from the outside, which would typically be on the left side as depicted in the figure, a central part, or a inner seam section (69) is located higher with respect to an outer section (70) of the seam.
[0058] FIG. 5 depicts another aspect of the device (1) according to the present invention. This aspect is related to the ventilation of the device (1). In the bottom housing segment (2a) a plurality of venting holes (30, 31) may be provided. In this non limitative embodiment, two air inlet vents (31) are provided, and two air outlet vents (30) are provided. The air vents (30, 31) serve to cool the device (1) according to the present invention. Besides cooling electronic components housed inside the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b), air is also used to cool down the outer sheet of glass (3) and/or the border sheet (3) such that the temperature of these features does not exceed a predetermined temperature. Through the two inlets (31) cool air is sucked into the device (1). The cool air passes through the device (1) as it heats up due to heat shed by the components inside. The hot air is forced out of the device (1) through the air outlets (30). The air vents (30, 31) are located on the bottom housing segment (2a) such as to prevent water from seeping into the device (1). If the device (1) is installed in a recess provided in a wall, it should be understood that the air vents (30, 31) should be in contact with cool air to prevent blockage of the vents (30, 31). To this end, FIG. 6 provides a view of the circulation of air through the device (1) according to the invention. A fan (32) is used to provide for a circulation of air. However, different means for causing cool air to enter the device (1), heat up inside, and leave through an air outlet (30) may be also suitable to this end. The ventilator may suck in cool air from the surrounding, through the air inlet (31), which cool air may be forced between the outer glass sheet (3) and an inner glass sheet (34), as indicated by the arrows in the figure. The outer glass sheet (3) and inner glass sheet (34) may otherwise be referred to as an inner and outer radiation transmitting cover element. Once the air has travelled towards the top housing segment (2b) the air is bended 180 degrees back towards the bottom housing segment (2a). This may be realized by means of a deflector plate (33), which will be elaborated in more detail later on. The air will flow back down below the reflector and leaves the interior of the device (1) through the air outlet (30) in the bottom housing segment (2a). Optionally, the housing (2, 2a, 2b) may be embedded in a shower wall, such that the device (1) is not so obtrusive and consumes less space. To this end, a back portion, starting from a line depicted in the figure in the direction indicated by the arrow (E), may in particular be embedded or built into a wall. This allows the air inlet (31) and air outlet (30) to still suck in and expel air from and into the surrounding, such that airways are not blocked. As shown clearly in this figure, the air inlets (31) and air outlets (30) are arranged in a side by side orientation of the device. As such, a more flush built-in of the device (1) is possible.
[0059] FIGS. 7a and 7b respectively show a cross section of the air inlet (31) and air outlet (30) in the bottom housing segment (2a). In FIG. 7a the air inlet vent (31) is shown in more detail. The air inlet (31) is provided with an inlet valve (36). In inactive condition, said air inlet valve (36) will be substantially horizontally due to its gravity. The inactive condition is considered as the condition wherein the fan (32) is not in operation. In this position the valve (36) may close off the air inlet vent (31) substantially entirely, such that in the case no flow of air is required through the system and hence the fan (32) is not turned on, the chances of moisture and/or water getting inside the system are further reduced since the air inlet vent (31) is blocked by the inlet valve (36). If the fan (32) is turned on the valve (36) will be in the position as shown in the figure. The position of the valve (36) is not entirely vertical in order to make sure the inlet valve (36) will block the air inlet vent (30) when the system goes into the inactive condition, that is, when the fan (32) is turned off. To ensure the valve (36) does not unintentionally end up in a vertical position a blocking element (38) is provided. The valve (36) may be hingeable connected to either the bottom housing segment (2a), or to a separate frame, or to a frame of the outer glass sheet (3). Similarly, the air outlet vent (30) also comprises a hingeable outlet valve (37) which prevents moisture and/or water from getting into the system in its inactive condition. The outlet valve (37) in FIG. 7b is depicted in a position which would occur when the system is in inactive condition, and hence the fan (32) is not on. As shown, the valve (37) essentially entirely closes the air outlet vent (30) such that no water can come inside. In order to prevent that the valve (37) remains stuck in an unintended position, and always goes back to the position as depicted when the system is in inactive condition, an extended valve portion (39) is provided. Said extended valve portion (39) abuts the outer glass sheet (3) or a part of the housing if the fan is active and as such prevent the valve (37) from rotating too far. As such, this will allow the valve (37) to essentially always revert back to the position as depicted in the figure when the system is in inactive condition.
[0060] FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the top housing segment (2b). FIG. 8 shows a more detailed view of the deflector plate (33) according to the invention. Said deflector plate (33) functions to deflect the upwardly travelling stream of air towards a downwardly travelling stream of air. Herein, the stream of air is depicted by means of the arrows. The upwardly travelling stream of air flows between the outer sheet of glass (3) and the inner sheet of glass (34). In addition to the deflector plate (33) a deflector bracket (35) may be provided. Said deflector bracket (35) serves as a first element for rearranging the upwardly travelling stream of air. In particular the deflector bracket (35) may introduce a tangential component to the stream of air. Said tangential component is to be understood as at least partially perpendicular to the upwardly travelling stream of air.
[0061] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the housing comprising a bottom housing segment (2a), a plurality of intermediate housing segments (2) and an upper housing segment (2b). Each housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) comprises at least one support element (20). The support elements (20) are in particular configured for guiding a frame, in particular the frame that is attached to the outer sheet of glass (3). Preferably each housing segment (2, 2a, 2b) comprises at least two support elements (20, which are allocated on opposing sides of a side wall (7) of the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b). This figure also illustrates how the plurality of housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) mutually form the accommodating space (72) of the device. By changing the amount of housing segments (2, 2a, 2b) that is used, the size of the accommodating space (72) may be chosen according to the size of the device. FIGS. 10a and 10b show a schematical view of a part of the frame (40, 41) the outer sheet of glass (3) may be attached to. The frame (40, 41) comprises a parallel frame portion (41) that is substantially parallel to the outer sheet of glass (3), and a perpendicular frame portion (40) that extends substantially perpendicular to the parallel frame portion (41). Hence, the perpendicular frame portion (40) therewith extends substantially perpendicular to the outer sheet of glass (3). Said perpendicular frame portion (40) may be provided with a first locking slot (42) and a second locking slot (43). The first and second locking slot (42, 43) are configured for sliding over the support elements (20). It is conceivable that the perpendicular frame portion (42) is provided with a plurality of first and/or second locking slots (42, 43). Preferably, the first and second locking sots (42, 43) are provided at opposing sides of the perpendicular frame portion (40), such that the first and second locking slots (43, 44) are configured to co-act with the support elements (20) of the housing segments (2, 2a, 2b). The first and second locking slots (43, 44) may have mutually different intake openings (44, 45) and slightly different slot trajectories. This is especially beneficial to prevent the attaching mechanism to be overdetermined. To this end, one pair of opposing first locking slots (42) provided with first intake openings (44) may be arranged in the housing, preferably at a central part of the housing. Additionally, a plurality of pairs of second locking slots (43) with second intake openings (45) may be arranged in the housing. The first and second intake openings (44, 45) may be positioned above the plurality of support elements (20), once the openings (44, 45) are slid over the support elements (20), the first and second locking slots (42, 43) will determine the trajectory of the frame (40, 41) and therewith the outer glass sheet (3). The locking protrusions (20) will have a final position in the vertical portion of the first and second locking slots (42, 43).
[0062] FIG. 11 shows a cross section of a part of a housing segment (2). In this figure the outer glass sheet (3) is partially installed. This can be seen by the gap (G) present between the parallel frame portion (41) and the upper side of the housing edge (49). In this condition, the perpendicular frame portion (40), in particular the first and second locking slots (42, 43) provided and/or the first and second intake openings (44, 45) provided therein, have only partially received a support element (20), and thus said support elements (20) have not yet reached the vertical portion of the first and second locking slots (42, 43). The figure further shows the presence of a seal member (47), which may be embodied by a PTFE coated rubber or silicon. Said sealing member (47) may ensure a proper sealing between the housing segment (2) and the outer sheet of glass (3) and/or glass frame (40, 41). The sealing member (47) may be removably allocated in the edge channel (29), which edge channel (29) is provided in the housing edge (49). Additionally, the figure shows the space (48) between the outer glass sheet (3) and the inner glass sheet (34), through which space (48) the stream of air flows. After the support elements (20) have reached their locking position in the first and second locking slots (42, 42), that is, wherein the support elements (20) are in the vertical portion of said first and second locking slots (42, 43), the outer glass sheet will be in the position as depicted in FIG. 12.
[0063] FIG. 12 thus shows the outer sheet of glass (3) in its final position. As can be seen, the parallel frame portion (41) is pressing against the sealing member (47) such that the sealing member (47) prevents water from entering the housing segment (2). The double reflector (50) is also shown in FIG. 12. Said double reflector (50) comprises an inner reflector member (52) and an outer reflector member (51). The front surface of the inner reflector (50) faces towards the rear surface of the outer reflector (51). The inner reflector member (52) has a segmented parabolic shape, which is defined by a number of facets at an angle, such that light from either the ultraviolet (UV) lamp (56) or the infrared (IR) lamp (55) is reflected towards the inner glass sheet (34) and the outer glass sheet (3). Said UV lamp (56) is attached to the outer reflector member (51) and is attached to said outer reflector member (51) with a UV lamp frame (54) which extends through a hole provided in the inner reflector member (52). The IR lamp (55) is attached to the inner reflector member (52) through a IR lamp frame (53). FIG. 13 provides a perspective view of a part of the cross section as shown in FIG. 12. The UV lamp (56) is clearly visible in FIG. 13. Said UV lamp (56) is suspended in two UV lamp frames (54) which, as shown in FIG. 12, extend through the inner reflector member (52). The double reflector (50) is in this non-limitative embodiment attached to the housing via a hinge (57). The hinge (57) allows the entire double reflector (50) to be upwardly hinged, such that any electronic component housed below the double reflector (50) may be more accessible. The hinge (57) may connect to the double reflector (50) on one side, and to an attachment plate (59) on the other side. The attachment plate (59) may be directly or indirectly connected to the housing. It is conceivable that said attachment plate (59) is provided with at least one hole (58). Said hole (58) may be configured to co-act with the mutually adjoined third edge locking element (23) and fourth locking element (26), such that the third and fourth (23, 26) locking element essentially define a location for placing the attachment plate (59).
[0064] Lastly, FIGS. 14a and 14b depict a cross section of the bottom housing segment (2a) wherein the outer glass sheet (3) and glass frame (40, 41) is depicted in two different positions. FIG. 14a depicts the bottom housing segment (2a) wherein the outer glass sheet (3) and the frame attached thereto (40, 41) is not yet in its final position. In this, not fully installed, position an indicator element (60) is visible from the outside of the device (1). The indicator element (60) may otherwise be referred to as a securing element (60). Said indicator element (60) may serve to warn a user that the outer glass sheet (3) and the frame (40, 41) are not yet fully installed. The indicator element (60) makes the user aware of the fact that the outer glass sheet (30) is not yet locked. That is, the outer glass sheet (3) may still be upwardly lifted and removed from the housing. The user, or the person installing the device (1) should push the indicator element (60) upwardly in order to lock the outer glass sheet (3). In other to achieve this lock, a glass locking element (61) that may be directly attached to the indicator element (60) is configured to lockingly engage with a locking protrusion (63) of the outer glass sheet (3) or the parallel frame portion (41). An inclined portion (62) of the locking element (61) will slide over the locking protrusion (63) of the outer glass sheet (3). Once the inclined portion slid over the locking protrusion (63) the receiving recess (64) provided in the locking element (61) will prevent the outer glass sheet (3) from being moved upwardly since the locking protrusion (63) is trapped inside the receiving recess (64). As such, also the indicator element (61) is not visible anymore as shown in FIG. 14b. This informs the user or installer that the outer glass sheet (3) is locked properly. If it is needed to remove the outer glass sheet (3) in case of maintenance, a tool may be utilized to unlock the locking element (61). This may be realized by inserting from below said tool, such that the locking element (61) is bent slightly into a position wherein the locking protrusion (63) may be removed from the receiving recess (64). The tool may for example be a screw driver, or the like.
[0065] FIG. 15a is a first representation of the device (1) which is built into bathroom, in a shower for example. The device (65) may be operated by a user via an interface (65) which allows the user to select various modes of the device. The device (1) may as such be attached to either of the walls (66, 67), such as is depicted in FIGS. 15b and 15c, or may be attached in the corner enclosed by said walls (66, 67), such as shown in FIG. 15a. In FIG. 15b the device (1) is built into one of the walls (67), wherein the device emits UV or IR light into a direction of a user standing under the showerhead (71). The device (1) only slightly protrudes from the wall (67) it is built into, this is to prevent the air inlet and air outlet at the bottom side of the device (1) from blocking. As such, the device (1) is able to suck in air and also to expel air back into the environment through its in- and outlets. Due to a side by side orientation of the air inlet and outlet at the bottom side of the device (1) said device (1) may be built into the wall more deeply as compared to the prior art. FIG. 15c shows the same device (a) but attached onto the wall, instead of begin provided in a recess of the wall. Although in all of the FIGS. 15a-15c the same size device (1) is shown, the invention is not limited thereto, and also different sizes of the device (1) according to the invention may be installed similarly. The device (1) attached to one of the side walls (66) is shown in a first smaller sized embodiment in FIG. 15d, and in an even smaller sized embodiment in FIG. 15e. These smaller embodiments may however achieve the same benefits. The different sizes may in particular be realized by implementing respectively three, two, or just one intermediate housing segment 2 to form the housing.
[0066] The above-described inventive concepts are illustrated by several illustrative embodiments. It is conceivable that individual inventive concepts may be applied without, in so doing, also applying other details of the described example. It is not necessary to elaborate on examples of all conceivable combinations of the above-described inventive concepts, as a person skilled in the art will understand numerous inventive concepts can be (re)combined in order to arrive at a specific application.
[0067] By complementary coupling profiles is meant that these coupling profiles can cooperate with each other. However, to this end, the complementary coupling profiles do not necessarily have to have complementary forms. By locking in vertical direction is meant locking in a direction parallel to or coinciding with a plane defined by the device. By locking in horizontal direction is meant locking in a direction perpendicular to said plane defined by the device.
[0068] It will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the working examples shown and described herein, but that numerous variants are possible within the scope of the attached claims that will be obvious to a person skilled in the art.
[0069] The verb comprise and conjugations thereof used in this patent publication are understood to mean not only comprise, but are also understood to mean the phrases contain, substantially consist of, formed by and conjugations thereof.
