HYGIENIC PROCESS FOR AN AIR SUPPLY SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to an air blower apparatus, in particular a jet air hand dryer, comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet, at least one air duct extending inside the housing between the inlet and the outlet, for guiding an air stream, a fan unit for producing a directed stream of air in the air duct, and a UV treatment unit arranged inside a section of the air duct, said UV treatment unit having a treatment chamber for at least parts of the stream passing through the air duct, characterised in that the treatment chamber is at least part of a receiving chamber for a fan impeller in the fan unit, wherein a plurality of lighting adapted to emit UV light are arranged inside the receiving chamber.

Claims

1. An air blower apparatus comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; at least one air duct extending inside the housing between the inlet and the outlet and configured to guide an air stream; a fan unit having a fan impeller configured to produce the air steam in the air duct; and a UV treatment unit arranged inside a section of the air duct, the UV treatment unit having a treatment chamber for at least parts of the air stream passing through the air duct; wherein the treatment chamber is at least part of a receiving chamber for the fan impeller in the fan unit, and a plurality of lights adapted to emit UV light are arranged inside the receiving chamber.

2. The air blower apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lights in the receiving chamber are directed towards the fan impeller.

3. The air blower apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lights are directed towards an outer circumferential surface of the fan impeller such that the UV light emitted by the lights hits vanes of the fan impeller or radiates into interspaces between the vanes.

4. The air blower apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fan unit is a centrifugal fan, and the lights are arranged at intervals from one another on a circumferential surface of the receiving chamber surrounding the fan impeller.

5. The air blower apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the receiving chamber is substantially cylindrical in shape, and the fan impeller is arranged off-center in the receiving chamber, wherein the lights are arranged on the circumferential surface at increasingly larger intervals in a direction of the outlet.

6. The air blower apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lights are designed to emit light with a wavelength in a UV-C range from 100 nm to 280 nm, inclusive, wherein the lights are light emitting diodes (LEDs) and are arranged in electrical communication with each other on a flexible strip of material.

7. The air blower apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the housing has at least two housing portions that are connected sealingly to each other by the strip of material.

8. The air blower apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treatment chamber inside the air duct has a material that reflects UV light emitted from the lights.

9. The air blower apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a heating device configured to heat the air stream flowing through the air duct.

10. The air blower apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a detector associated with the outlet of the air duct, the detector including at least one sensor configured to sense an object approaching the outlet.

11. The air blower apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising: a control unit in electric communication with the detector and configured to control the fan impeller based on signals from the detector.

12. A method of disinfecting an air stream passing through an air handling system, the method comprising: driving a fan impeller to create an air stream and simultaneously actuating a UV light to emit UV light for disinfecting the air stream flowing through an air duct; and actuating a heating device to heat the air stream simultaneously with the driving of the fan impeller and the actuating of the light.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the UV light is arranged upstream of the heating device.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the actuation of the heating device is for a specified period of time, wherein, after the specified period of time has elapsed, the heating device is switched OFF and the fan impeller is driven at a reduced speed with the UV light still activated.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the light remains activated when the fan impeller is stationary.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the UV light is contained with a common housing with the fan impeller.

17. A jet air hand dryer comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet interconnected by an air duct; a fan unit disposed in a receiving chamber of the housing and including an impeller configured to circulate an air stream through the air duct and out the outlet to dry a person's hands; and UV lighting arranged along a section of the air duct such that the UV lighting emits UV light onto the impeller and the air stream to sanitize the impeller and air stream.

18. The hand dryer of claim 17, wherein the UV lighting is a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to emit a wavelength in a UV-C range from 100 nm to 280 nm, inclusive.

19. The hand dryer of claim 18, wherein the fan unit is a centrifugal fan, and the LEDs are arranged at intervals from one another on a circumferential surface of the receiving chamber surrounding the impeller.

20. The hand dryer of claim 17, wherein the receiving chamber is substantially cylindrical in shape, and the impeller is arranged off-center in the receiving chamber, wherein the UV lighting includes a plurality of lights arranged spaced apart from each other such that the lights are spaced at increasingly larger intervals in a direction of the outlet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of an air blower apparatus according to the disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the air blower apparatus shown in FIG. 1, in cross-section.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an air blower apparatus according to the disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the air blower apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an air blower apparatus, such as a jet air hand dryer for producing a forced air stream. Air blower apparatus 10 includes a housing 12 having an inlet 14 and an outlet 16 and an air duct extending inside housing 12 between inlet 14 and outlet 16. A fan unit 20 is arranged inside housing 12 and has a fan impeller 22 that circulates an air stream 23 in air duct 18 from the inlet in the direction of the outlet.

[0036] Air blower apparatus 10 also includes a UV treatment unit 24 that is arranged inside a section of air duct 18. The UV treatment unit includes a treatment chamber 26 for at least parts of the air stream 23 passing through air duct 18.

[0037] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the treatment chamber 26 is part of a receiving chamber for the fan impeller 22 of fan unit 20. A plurality of lighting sources 30 designed to emit UV light are arranged inside receiving chamber 28.

[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lighting sources 30 in receiving chamber 28 for the fan impeller are aimed directly at fan impeller 22. Fan impeller 22 has a plurality of fan impeller vanes 32 and interspaces 34 between adjacent fan impeller vanes, through which air drawn in, in particular in the center of fan impeller 22, is transported radially to the outside. In the present embodiment, fan unit 20 is designed as a centrifugal fan.

[0039] Lighting sources 30 are aimed at the outer circumferential surface of the fan impeller in such a way that the UV light emitted by lighting sources 30 radiates onto the surfaces of fan impeller vanes 32 and into the interspaces 34 between fan impeller vanes 32. To ensure uniform irradiation of the fan impeller with UV light inside receiving chamber 28, which forms a section of air duct 18, the lighting sources are arranged at intervals from one another on the circumferential surface of the receiving chamber surrounding fan impeller 22 on its outside.

[0040] In the embodiment shown here, receiving chamber 28 is substantially cylindrical in shape, and fan impeller 22 is arranged off-center in receiving chamber 28. The air duct formed between the fan impeller and the outer side of the receiving chamber thus widens gradually in the direction of outlet 16. The radial distance between lighting sources 30 and the outer circumferential surface of fan impeller 22 changes, therefore, which is why lighting sources 30 are arranged on the circumferential surface 35 of receiving chamber 28 at widening intervals from each other in the direction of outlet 16.

[0041] The lighting sources are designed to emit light with a wavelength in the UV-C range from 100 nm to 280 nm, the lighting sources may be UV-C light emitting diodes.

[0042] In one embodiment, lighting sources 30 are arranged in electrical communication with each other on a flexible strip of material 36. As shown by way of example in FIG. 1, the flexible strip of material 36 with inwardly facing lights 30 arranged thereon may be arranged between two housing portions 38, 38′ of housing 12. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the strip of material 36 seals the two housing portions 38, 38′ to each other.

[0043] In one embodiment, the treatment chamber inside the air duct has a material that reflects the light emitted from lights 30, thus resulting in greater irradiation of the treatment chamber 26 of UV treatment unit 24. Air blower apparatus 10 also includes a control unit 40 for controlling a drive means 42 that sets fan impeller 22 in rotational motion, in particular, and/or for controlling UV treatment unit 24. Control unit 40 controls the switching ON and OFF of fan unit 20 and UV treatment unit 24. The drive means 42 may be a motor.

[0044] In the present embodiment, control unit 40 is coupled in electrical communication with a detector 44 including at least one sensor for sensing at least the presence of an object approaching outlet 16 of air blower apparatus 10.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of an air blower apparatus 10′ that includes a housing 12′. Housing 12′ has an inlet 14 and an outlet 16 and an air duct 18 extending inside housing 12′ between the inlet and the outlet. A fan unit 20 having the drive means 42 and a fan impeller 22 which can be set in rotational motion by the drive means is arranged in housing 12′.

[0046] Fan unit 20 is embodied for its part as a centrifugal fan. Air blower apparatus 10′ includes a control unit, not shown in further detail, which is supplied with electrical power via a power connection 45.

[0047] Housing 12′ also includes two housing portions 38, 38′ which are connected sealingly to each other by a flexible strip of material 36, on which, in the embodiment shown here, lighting sources 30 (FIG. 4), embodied as UV-C diodes, are arranged in electrical communication with each other. As can be seen from the cross-sectional view in FIG. 4, fan unit 20 is arranged inside housing 12, which forms a receiving chamber 28 for the fan unit and an air duct 18 for the air stream conducted from inlet 14 to outlet 16.

[0048] In the embodiment shown here, a heating device 48 for heating the air stream 23 flowing through air duct 18 is provided in a section of the air duct. In one possible embodiment, a detector 44 having at least one sensor 46 is configured to sense at least the presence of an object approaching outlet 16 or associated with outlet 16 of air blower apparatus 10′.

[0049] Fan unit 20, e.g., its drive means 42, as well as heating device 50, and/or UV treatment unit 24 are controlled by the control unit of air blower apparatus 10′, not shown here in further detail, if the presence of an object at outlet 16 is detected by the detector 44.

[0050] The control units of air blower apparatuses 10, 10′ are configured to operate the air blower apparatus according to one or more of the following steps: driving fan impeller 22 and simultaneously actuating lighting sources 30 to produce the UV light for disinfecting the air stream 23 flowing through air duct 18; driving fan impeller 22 and simultaneously actuating lighting sources 30 to produce the UV light for disinfecting the air stream 23 flowing through the air duct 18 and actuating a heating device 50 for heating the air stream; driving fan impeller 22 and simultaneously actuating lighting sources 30 to produce the UV light for disinfecting the air stream flowing through air duct 18 and actuating a heating device 50 for heating air stream 23 for a specified period of time, wherein, after the specified period of time has elapsed, heating device 50 is switched OFF and fan impeller 22 is driven at a reduced speed with lighting sources 30 still switched ON, and actuating lighting sources 30 to produce the UV light for disinfecting the disinfecting fan impeller 22 when the fan impeller is stationary.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0051] 10, 10′ Air blower apparatus [0052] 12, 12′ Housing [0053] 14 Inlet [0054] 16 Outlet [0055] 18 Air duct [0056] 20 Fan unit [0057] 22 Fan impeller [0058] 23 Air stream [0059] 24 UV treatment unit [0060] 26 Treatment chamber [0061] 28 Receiving chamber [0062] 30 Lighting source [0063] 32 Fan impeller vane [0064] 34 Interspace [0065] 35 Circumferential surface (receiving space) [0066] 36 Strips of material [0067] 38, 38′ Housing portion [0068] 40 Control unit [0069] 42 Drive means [0070] 45 Power connection [0071] 44 Detector [0072] 46 Sensor [0073] 48 Power connection [0074] 50 Heating device