Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PURIFICATION AIR SYSTEM FOR DEVICES
OPERATING IN DUST AND AIRBORNE CHEMICALS-FREE ENVIRONMENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an integrated air
purifier for use in combination with one or more devices
that is(are) mounted in one or more enclosures) which
enclosed devices operate more efficiently when the immediate
air has very low levels of dust, airborne chemicals and/or
controlled levels of humidity. A sterile steam humidifier is
integratable with the air purifier for "low humidity"
environments that require the immediate environment to have
steady levels of higher humidity.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many devices in the various industries, the
electronics and/or printing industry, for example, require a
substantially dust and/or airborne chemicals free immediate
environment to ensure its proper operation, longevity,
reduce operating/maintenance costs, and/or to enhance the
performance of the device(s). Such devices are usually
housed in an enclosure with the enclosure being custom
fitted with air treating devices and often requiring
controlled air humidification. Accordingly, it is necessary
to modify these enclosures to accept these air treating
devices. Without treated air it is often necessary to shut
down the enclosed devices in order to conduct maintenance to
the various equipment fitted therein, and/or to accept
reduced performance and possibly higher repair/life cycle
costs. The lack of treated air is a costly proposition.
Other devices require that they be placed in a substantially
dust-free and/or humidity controlled room to ensure their
proper operation, and/or to have airborne chemical
contaminants removed. This is a further expensive
proposition without integrated air treating equipment, as
many rooms are large, and difficult to control. The cost to
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create "Cleanroom Type" environments in these rooms can be
expensive. Many enclosed devices operate in low-humidity
environments which negatively affects performance. Higher
levels of humidity must be achieved and maintained to ensure
the enclosed devices operate more efficiently. Achieving
and maintaining the desired humidity levels inside the
immediate environment of the enclosed device is difficult to
achieve and maintain if attempted by controlling the room
humidity levels, and it can be costly. Many enclosed
to devices operate with equipment that generates heat
intermittently which reduces humidity levels inside the
enclosed device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a feature of the present invention to
provide an integrated air purifier which is used in
combination with one or more device(s)mounted in one or more
enclosures) and requiring a purified, substantially free of
dust and/or chemicals, in the immediate environment and
wherein the purifier is a standalone unit integrated with
the enclosed device(s).
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide an integrated air purifier having a sterile steam
humidifier which is connected between the air purifier and
the enclosure of the device whereby to inject a regulated
amount of humidity in the purified air and avoid
condensation inside the enclosed device.
Another feature of the present invention is to
provide an integrated air purifier and humidifier system
which is easy to service and which is auto-regulated.
A still further feature of the present invention
is to provide an integrated air purifier and humidifier
system which substantially overcomes the above-mentioned
disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the above features, from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides an integrated air
purifier for use in combination with one or more devices)
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mounted in one or more enclosures) and requiring a
purified, substantially free of dust and/or airborne
chemicals, in the immediate environment. The air purifier
has filter means therein to purify ambient air drawn from an
air inlet port of the purifier by blower means and fed to an
air exhaust port thereof. A conduit interconnects the air
exhaust port of the air purifier to an air inlet port of the
enclosure. The blower means injects purified air under
pressure in the enclosure to create a positive pressure air
flow with air exhausting through existing openings provided
in the enclosure whereby to prevent the infiltration of
unwanted ambient air in the enclosure.
According to a still further broad aspect of the
present invention a sterile steam humidifier is used in
combination with the air purifier whereby a regulated amount
of humidity is injected in the purified air which is
supplied to the air inlet port of the enclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
2o The preferred embodiments of the present invention
will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an integrated
air purifier constructed in accordance with the present
invention and having a sterile steam humidifier in
combination therewith and connected to the enclosure of a
pre-press printing device as utilized in the printing
industry;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the integrated air
purifier, and ;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the basic
component parts of the sterile steam humidifier utilized
with the integrated air purifier.
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and more
particularly to Figure 1 there is shown generally at 10 the
air purification system and comprised by an integrated air
purifier 11. The air purifier 11 is herein equipped with a
sterile steam humidifier 12 for supplying purified air with
controlled humidity, through a conduit 13, to the enclosure
14 of a printing device 15 as utilized in the printing
industry. The sterile steam humidifier 12 is connected to
l0 the conduit 13 and more specifically to a mixing chamber
portion 16 thereof constituted by a pipe section which is at
least 4 feet to 5 feet long and having a 6 inch diameter
pipe ( pipe is smaller for non humidity applications)
whereby to ensure that the steam produced by the humidifier
is completely absorbed in the purified air prior to being
injected in the enclosure 14.
Referring now additionally to Figure 2 it can be
seen that the air purifier 11 consists of a housing 17 and
provided with a door 18 to provide access to the air and/or
carbon filter banks 19 mounted in the top portion of the
housing. A blower or fan 20 is mounted above an air inlet
port 21 and has sufficient capacity to draw ambient air from
the bottom of the housing 17 and push it through the filter
banks 19 and out through an air exhaust port 22. The
conduit 13 is connected in substantially sealing
relationship with the exhaust port 22. The air filters 19
are of types well known in the art and capable of purifying
air. The fan is also of sufficient capacity to create a
positive air flow into the printing equipment enclosure 14
with air exiting out of the enclosure through existing
openings such as holes, cracks or vent openings 14', so that
the enclosure has an internal positive pressure to prevent
the infiltration of unwanted ambient air. The fan has a
capacity and can have a variable speed to effectuate
approximately from about 25 to about 100 air exchanges in an
enclosure per hour. On the other hand, different fans can
be used to suit an associated enclosure.
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As also shown in Figure 2 the air and/or carbon
filters are slidingly received in filter brackets 23 and in
substantially sealing relationship with the top walls 24 of
the housing 17 whereby all of the air entering the air inlet
21 is filtered through the filter bank. The door frame is
also provided with a seal 25 thereabout to complete the seal
about the filters. The air exiting the air exhaust port 22
is substantially purified to produce a "Class 10,000"
cleanroom environment. Detector 26 are mounted in close
to proximity to the exhaust 22 to sense the condition of the
filters and an indicator panel 27 is provided with indicator
lamps 28 to alert a user that one or more of the filters 19
require a change.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 3 there will be
briefly described the humidity producing system utilized
with the air purifier 11 and it consists of a technically
advanced, steam humidifier that produces mineral free,
odorless, sterile steam. Such humidifiers are known in the
art. A humidity sensor 29 is secured at the end of the
2o external mixing chamber portion 16 or if necessary elsewhere
inside the enclosure 14 of the conduit 13, just prior to the
air entering into the enclosure 14, to provide live feedback
to a three-way electronic control valve 30 or directly to
the humidifier 12 to precisely regulate the output humidity
level. The sensor could also be mounted in the enclosure
depending on the size of the enclosure. As shown in this
configuration in Figure 2 the control valve 30 is connected
to an outlet pipe 31 of the sterile steam humidifier 12. In
this configuration excess humidity is vented to the room
environment through a vent 32 connected to the control valve
30. Alternately a humidifier may receive the data from the
humidity sensor and adjust the output humidity level without
exhausting any humidity into the room environment.
The humidifier 12 automatically enters into a
"sleep" mode if room humidity reaches a predetermined upper
level. The mixing chamber portion 16 of the conduit 13 is
sized to allow the steam to be fully absorbed by the air
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prior to entering the enclosure 14 and to eliminate the
possibility of condensate forming inside the printing
equipment enclosure. The humidifier is auto-regulated and
has a humidity control circuit 33 which receives control
signals from the sensor 39 which is sensing ambient air. An
electrode air purifier 34, herein also schematically
illustrated, removes impurity from the humid air and a
sludge removal system 35 is mounted in the base of the
humidifier and provided with a disposable cylinder 37 for
to low maintenance sludge removal.
It is pointed out that electrode steam
humidifiers, currently available on the market, produce pure
uncontaminated moisture to protect sensitive equipment.
Some of these systems utilize auto-adaptive controls to
automatically adjust to water supply conditions. There are
no heating elements in such humidifiers and accordingly they
do not get coated with mineral deposits and sludge. Any
water borne impurities are removed at the electrodes and
deposited in a cylinder where they are periodically flushed
out through a drain such as the drain 36 illustrated in
Figure 3. Solid mineral scale sinks to the bottom of the
cylinder which, when filled with residue is easily discarded
and replaced. These humidifiers are also provided with
cylinder status indicators 38, either audible or visual, to
advise the user when cylinder replacement is required.
Although the air purifier system of the present
invention is herein illustrated as adapted to a pre-press
printing equipment as utilized in the printing industry,
there are numerous other adaptations, such as electronic
equipment, computer equipment, medical equipment etc.
However, we have found that in the printing industry such
air purifiers are necessary as a minimum for proofers,
imagesetters, or computer-to-plate devices having optic and
electronic circuitry, etc. It is therefore within the ambit
of the present invention not to restrict the application of
the integrated air purifier as described herein, sufficient
only to say, that it is used in combination with a device
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mounted in an enclosure and requiring a purified,
substantially dust and/or airborne chemicals-free, immediate
environment, with an option for controlled humidity for
rooms or sites that have low humidity.
