Air cleaning system having forced negative pressure generating function

• US 5,865,880 A
• Filed: 09/11/1996
• Issued: 02/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tornex, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tornex, Inc.
• Inventors: Matsui, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiesa, Richard L.
• Application Number:
  US08/712,176
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 55/274, 55/467, 55/385.1, 55/385.2, 55/471, 55/485, 55/486, 55/279, 55/DIG. 29, 55/DIG. 35, 55/DIG. 36, 96/26, 96/55, 96/57, 96/58, 96/63, 454/188-193, 95/57, 95/78, 95/273, 95/286, 95/287
• US Class Current: 96/26
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/108 using dry filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/97 for removing tobacco smoke
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 9/00 Use of air currents for screening, e.g. air curtains
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/29 Air curtains

Abstract

An air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function is provided for defining a space in a room for utilizing the space as a smoking area or the like in which contaminated air such as smoke is prevented from flowing out of the space and is cleaned. The air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function has an air curtain producing unit having a blow-out port for producing air curtains to surround a predetermined space, an air sucking unit having a suction port open to the predetermined space defined by the air curtains for sucking air in the predetermined space, an air exhausting unit having an exhaust port open to the outside of the predetermined space for exhausting air sucked by the air sucking means to the outside of the predetermined space, an air cleaner unit interposed between the exhaust port and the suction port, and an air cleaner body supported by a plurality of stems for accommodating the components. An amount of air exhausted from the exhausted port is set larger than an amount of air externally involved by the air curtains from the outside of the predetermined space to produce a negative pressure in the predetermined space defined by the air curtains. In this way, the negative pressure in the predetermined space prevents contaminated air such as smoke from leaking therefrom, and the air cleaner unit cleans such contaminated air before it is exhausted from the predetermined space.

Claims

1. An air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function comprising:

a body having means for supporting said body above a predetermined space;

suction means mounted in said body having a suction port for sucking air from said predetermined space;

air curtain producing means mounted in said body for receiving air from said suction means and having a blow-out port for producing air curtains surrounding said predetermined space;

air exhausting means mounted in said body for receiving air from said suction means and having an exhaust port open to the outside of said predetermined space for exhausting air;

air cleaning means interposed between said exhaust port and said suction port;

the amount of air exhausted from said exhaust port being set larger than the amount of air drawn in by said air curtains from the outside of said predetermined space thereby producing a negative pressure in said predetermined space.

3. The air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function according to claim 1 or 2 including means for changing the direction of the air exiting from said blow-out port of said air curtain producing unit.

4. The air cleaning system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said body is supported above the floor by a plurality of spaced stems.

5. The air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said air cleaning means comprises a prefilter, an electric dust precipitator, and a deodorizing filter sequentially arranged in this order midway from said suction port to said exhaust port.

6. The air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function according to claim 5, wherein said electric dust precipitator includes means for intermittently turning off power supply to said electric dust precipitator for a predetermined time period when the electrodes of said electric dust precipitator short-circuit, and means for generating an alarm when the short circuit occurs a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period.

7. The air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function according to claim 5, wherein said electric dust precipitator includes means for decreasing the discharge voltage for a predetermined time period when the electrodes of said electric dust precipitator short-circuit, and means for generating an alarm when the short-circuit occurs a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time period.

2. An air cleaning system having a forced negative pressure generating function comprising:

a body having means for supporting said body above a predetermined space;

suction means mounted in said body having a suction port for sucking air from said predetermined space;

air curtain producing means mounted in said body for receiving air from said suction means and having a blow-out port for producing air curtains surrounding said predetermined space;

air exhausting means mounted in said body for receiving air from said suction means and having an exhaust port open to the outside of said predetermined space for exhausting air;

air cleaning means interposed between said exhaust port and said suction port;

said suction means comprising an air fan having a suction side connected to said suction port and a discharge side connected to said blow-out port and said exhaust port;

air amount adjusting means positioned between the discharge side of said air fan and said blow-out port and said exhaust port, and

said air cleaning means is positioned between the suction side of said air fan and said suction port,

the amount of air exhausted from said exhaust port being set larger than the amount of air drawn in by said air curtains outside of said predetermined space thereby producing a negative pressure in said predetermined space.