Air replenishment unit

• US 5,961,702 A
• Filed: 02/17/1998
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gebhardt Ventilatoren GmbH
• Original Assignee: Gebhardt Ventilatoren GmbH
• Inventors: Doneit, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, DUANE
• Application Number:
  US09/024,420
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 55/385.2, 55/365.1, 55/467, 55/471, 55/473, 55/483, 55/502, 55/355, 96/381, 454/187
• US Class Current: 96/381
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/24 Means for preventing or suppressing noise
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/28 Arrangement or mounting of filters
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/14 mounted on the ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/167 Clean rooms, i.e. enclosed spaces in which a uniform flow of filtered air is distributed air distribution by perforated walls F24F7/10

Abstract

An air replenishment unit more particularly for suspension under ceilings of clean rooms, including a housing whose wall is provided with a fan on the intake side, an outlet opening of the housing being functionally connected with an air filter arrangement. The strip-like housing having the fan is bent on the intake side at two opposite sides in an arcuate manner toward the output side, the two longitudinal edges of such wall being joined to two side walls, which are essentially parallel to each other, by folded sheet joints. The free edges, not having any folded joints, of the strip-like wall and the side walls essentially define an outlet opening. Such a housing together with a fan may be produced simply, economically and with a light weight using only three pre-stamped parts using folded or crimped seams and then constitutes a single-piece downwardly open hood-like housing with high class flow properties.

Claims

1. An air replenishment unit for suspension under ceilings of clean rooms, comprising a housing having a strip shaped wall provided with a fan on the intake side, an outlet opening of the housing being functionally connected with an air filter arrangement, wherein the strip shaped wall having the fan is bent on the intake side at two opposite sides in an arcuate manner toward the output side, two longitudinal edges of the strip shaped wall being respectively joined to two parallel sides walls of the housing by means of folded joints and free edges of the strip shaped wall and the side walls essentially defining the outlet opening of the housing.

2. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said folded joints are air-tight folded sheet seams.

3. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 2, wherein said folded seams are in the form of a turned out elbow seam or other form of seams.

4. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fan is secured in an essentially central opening in the strip shaped wall either directly or by means of a holding frame.

5. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fan is in the form of a radial fan.

6. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fan is designed in the form of a pre-assembled sub-module.

7. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said air filter arrangement comprises at least one sheet filter element arranged in a filter frame.

8. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said filter frame is provided on the housing side with at least one sealing groove extending around an edge, such sealing groove being adapted to sealingly receive the free edges, surrounding the air outlet opening, of the housing or of an intermediate or adapter frame arranged at the outlet opening.

9. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 8, wherein said sealing groove contains a sealing composition.

10. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 9, wherein said composition is in the form of a viscous sealing composition as a fluid seal.

11. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted on an air filter arrangement held on a holding device.

12. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing is mounted on an adapter frame held on a holding frame, the air filter arrangement being suspended underneath on the adapter frame or on the housing.

13. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 11, wherein said holding device is constituted by the ceiling rail arrangement of a clean room.

14. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 13, wherein said unit is one of a plurality of like ceiling rail-mounted air replenishment units, with which said unit at least partly occupies the extent of a ceiling.

15. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fan is provided on an intake side thereof with an, intake filter.

16. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, comprising a muffler arrangement located between the said fan and the air filter arrangement, such muffler being an acoustic muffler engaged on the fan.

17. The air replenishment unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing possesses an acoustically insulating or acoustically muffling lining.