Patent Application
20220049862
Elevator systems typically include a cab for carrying passengers among various levels within a building. Many elevator cabs include a device for exchanging air between the interior of the cab and the hoistway. Such devices typically are limited in the amount of air flow or exchange that can be achieved. The limited air circulation provided by such devices and the unconditioned hoistway air typically inhibit such devices from easily addressing concerns about the purity of air in an elevator cab.
An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator cab air purification device includes a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and at least one air pathway between the inlet and the outlet. A fan module is situated to cause air flow into the housing through the inlet, through the housing, and out of the housing through the outlet. The air flow through the housing includes air flow along the at least one pathway in at least a first direction. An air purifier is situated within the housing and configured to purify air that flows along the at least one pathway before the air exits the housing through the outlet.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the previous paragraph, the air purifier comprises a source of radiation.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the source of radiation comprises a light that emits ultraviolet light.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the at least one pathway includes a plurality of pathways, airflow along at least one of the pathways is in a second direction that is different than the first direction, and each of the pathways includes the source of radiation along at least portion of a length of the pathway.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the first direction is opposite the second direction.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the elevator cab includes a plurality of vertically oriented walls between a floor and a ceiling, the housing is situated parallel to and against at least one of the walls, the first direction corresponds to air flow away from the ceiling and toward the floor, and the second direction corresponds to air flow away from the floor and toward the ceiling.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the housing includes a plurality of baffles that define the pathways within the housing.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the fan module comprises a plurality of fans, and at least one of the plurality of fans is situated in a different location of the housing than at least one others of the plurality of fans.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the housing is configured to be situated against a corner of an interior of the elevator cab.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the device of the any of the previous paragraphs, the housing is configured as a portion of an interior cab wall, a raised panel or a cabinet.
An illustrative example embodiment of a method of purifying air in an elevator cab uses a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and at least one air pathway between the inlet and the outlet. The method includes: causing air flow into the housing through the inlet, through the housing, and out of the housing through the outlet, wherein the air flow through the housing includes air flow along the at least one pathway in at least a first direction; and purifying air that flows along the at least one pathway before the air exits the housing through the outlet.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the previous paragraphs, purifying the air comprises irradiating the air.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, irradiating the air comprises exposing the air to ultraviolet light.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, the at least one pathway comprises a plurality of pathways, airflow along at least one other of the pathways is in a second direction different from the first direction, and irradiating the air comprises exposing the air flow along each of the pathways to a light that emits the radiation along at least portion of a length of the pathway.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, the first direction is opposite the second direction.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, the elevator cab includes a plurality of vertically oriented walls between a floor and a ceiling, the housing is situated parallel to and against at least one of the walls, the first direction corresponds to air flow away from the ceiling and toward the floor, and the second direction corresponds to air flow away from the floor and toward the ceiling.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, the housing includes a plurality of baffles that define the pathways within the housing.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, causing the air flow comprises using a fan module, the fan module comprises a plurality of fans, and at least one of the plurality of fans is situated in a different location of the housing than at least one others of the plurality of fans.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, the housing is configured to be situated against a corner of an interior of the elevator cab.
In an example embodiment having at least one feature of the method of the any of the previous paragraphs, the housing is configured as a portion of an interior cab wall, a raised panel or a cabinet.
The various features and advantages of at least one disclosed example embodiment will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
In the example of
As can be appreciated from
In
The airflow continues as shown at 46 from the second pathway 42 into a third pathway 48. In this example, the air flows downward through the third pathway 48 and eventually transitions as shown by the arrow 50 into a fourth pathway 52. Airflow through the fourth pathway 52 is in an upward direction. The airflow eventually transitions as represented by the arrow 54 into a fifth pathway 56 from which it eventually exits the housing 24 through the outlet 28 as represented by the arrow 34.
Each of the pathways 40, 42, 48, 52 and 56 includes an air purifier that may comprise various features or components, such as a filter or a source of radiation. For purposes of discussion, the illustrated example embodiments include a source of radiation 60 as the air purifier. The source of radiation 60 irradiates the air flowing along the pathway. The sources of radiation 60 are situated to irradiate the air within each pathway to purify the air. According to this description, purified air has at least some contaminants removed from it. Air is purified even if less than all particles or contaminants are removed from the air. In other words, purified air is not necessarily absolutely pure but has a lower level of concentration of at least one type of contaminant compared to air that has not been purified by the purification device 22.
In an example embodiment, the sources of radiation 60 emit ultraviolet light so that air flowing along each pathway is irradiated by the ultraviolet radiation. In some embodiments, the sources of ultraviolet light include a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs). In an example embodiment, a flexible ribbon made of a silicone material supports a plurality of LEDs that emit ultraviolet light along the corresponding pathway within the housing 24. A silicone-based support for the LEDs is not subject to ultraviolet degradation and provides a small packaging envelope so that a useful amount of ultraviolet radiation affects the airflow in each passageway without requiring the air purification device 22 to take up a significant amount of space within the interior of the elevator cab 20.
The housing 24 retains the ultraviolet light or other purifying radiation and prevents it from emanating into the interior of the elevator cab. Only the air flowing along the pathways of the air purification device 22 is exposed to that radiation.
As shown in
The first pathway 76 in this example ends near a bottom of the housing 24 where the airflow continues around an end of the corresponding baffle 74 into a second pathway 80 that includes its own source of radiation 60. As represented by the arrows 82, the airflow through the second pathway 80 in this example is in an upward direction away from the floor of the elevator cab and toward the ceiling of the elevator cab. A third pathway 84 receives continued airflow that moves through the third pathway 84 in a downward direction as directed by the arrows 86. A fourth pathway 88 accommodates airflow as represented by the arrows 90 and a fifth pathway 92 accommodates airflow as represented by the arrows 94 toward the outlet 28 where the purified air exists the housing 24 as represented by the arrow 34.
The fans 64 of the fan module 30 are situated at various locations of the housing 24 in this example to achieve a desired air flow rate through the pathways. The fans 64 operate to establish a flow rate that ensures a desired amount of time that the air is exposed to the ultraviolet radiation to reduce or eliminate contaminants or pathogens in the air. In the illustrated example embodiments, the plurality of pathways and the different directions of airflow along those pathways provides a substantial enough time of exposure of the air to the ultraviolet radiation for effectively purifying the air flowing through the housing 24. In the illustrated example embodiments, the air purification devices 24 are taller than they are wide and, therefore, the airflow pathways are oriented in a vertical direction and the airflow is directed vertically between the ceiling and the floor in opposite directions along adjacent pathways.
In other embodiments, a serpentine arrangement of pathways in a generally horizontal orientation within a housing 24 accommodates airflow for a sufficient amount of time to provide adequate exposure to ultraviolet radiation for purifying the air.
The embodiments described above can be retrofit into existing elevator cabs without disrupting the aesthetic of the interior of the cab. Those and other embodiments are useful for new cabs or fully renovated cab interiors. Some embodiments intended to be incorporated into a new cab or new cab interior include a housing that extends from the decorative ceiling area to the kickplate area. The air purification device is embedded into the exterior of the shell, in a fashion similar to arrangement of the embodiment shown in
Air purification devices 22 like those in the disclosed example embodiments, facilitate purifying air within an elevator cab 20. Such devices are useful, for example to reduce or eliminate airborne pathogens or contaminants, such as the COVID-19 virus or other communicable diseases. The air purification devices 22 fit within an elevator cab 20 in a manner that does not reduce the passenger-carrying capacity in most instances. The air purification devices 22 can be incorporated into the interior of an elevator cab 20 without disrupting the aesthetics of the cab interior.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this invention. The scope of legal protection given to this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
